Tatsuki's Journey
by whackybiscuit
Summary: Tatsuki is kidnapped along with Orihime and turned into an arrancar. Now a member of the Espadas, Tatsuki is forced into a fight to the death with Ichigo where one friend has no choice but to kill the other to save Orihime. TatsukiXIchigo. TatsukiXOrihime. TatsukiXAizen.
1. Chapter 1

Tatsuki's Journey  
Chapter 1

 **A.N.: I've decided that, like Yuzu, Tatsuki never really got her chance in the series, barring filler, so I figured this would be a good opportunity to try something new. The pairings in this story are TatsukiXOrihime, TatsukiXAizen, TatsukiXIchigoXOrihime.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _ **Precipice World….**_

Ulquiorra stared at Orihime as he gave her his demands in his normal stoic attitude, finding this all to be tedious. This all may have been a game to his master, Aizen, but that didn't really matter when you were the pawn. "Understand girl?"

The terrified Orihime nodded, knowing that if she said no, her friends would die from her decision. "Yes…"

"Very well. Rendezvous with me at this location at the appointed time. If you do not show up, the agreement is off and your friends will pay the price."

The Espada turned around and opened another Garganta but he wasn't heading back to Hueco Mundo; not yet anyway. Aizen had given him one other person on his list to take with him back to Hueco Mundo….

 _ **Previously….  
**_ **Las Noches: Aizen's Chambers**

Aizen sat in his chair as he watched Ulquiorra's report on his and Yammy's encounter with Ichigo and his friends. He smirked as he watched Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka heal Chad's arm. "That's an interesting power you have, girl…."

But then he noticed something that he'd overlooked and rewound the video back a few minutes to before Orihime and Chad showed up to fight his Espada. He watched as the black-haired girl who'd been present for the Espada's arrival crawled on the ground, the only one to survive Yammy's Gonzui (Soul Suck): Tatsuki Arisawa.

"Hmm…curious, Ichigo, how you surround yourself with so many strong-willed friends. It's not anyone who can survive being so close to the Espada or survive Yammy's Gonzui." A thought occurred to him as he examined her. He knew that she was one of Ichigo's closest friends and, like Orihime, had developed spiritual awareness thanks to her close proximity to Ichigo.

Ichigo may have been one of Aizen's pet projects but he also had the capacity to wreck everything Aizen had been planning. He'd planned to have Orihime brought to him to have Ichigo come to Hueco Mundo, but Aizen was also a master of mind games and manipulation.

And he knew an opportunity when he saw one.

Ulquiorra walked into the room at Aizen's beckoning. "You called, my lord?

"Yes. You are familiar with the assignment I gave you?"

"Yes sir. Has the time come for me to carry it out?"

Sitting with his back to Ulquiorra, Aizen simply shook his head. "Not yet. However, I'm going to amend my original orders. When you apprehend Orihime Inoue, there is someone else I wish for you to take as well."

"Who might that be, Lord Aizen?"

The image of Tatsuki's face popped up on the screen. "Bring Tatsuki Arisawa here. She will be of use to me."

 _ **Back to the Present….  
**_ **Karakura Town**

"Hmmm!" Tatsuki grumbled annoyingly. "Ichigo…where are you?!" she called out, getting no answer. She'd been searching for Ichigo all throughout town for the last month with no luck whatsoever. She hated not knowing where her friend was, feeling like they'd drifted further and further apart since they got back from summer break. "Ichigo…where are you…."

She walked across a bridge and leaned over the railing, looking up at the sky. "First that monster attacked me and Orihime, then those weirdos kill all my friends and then you fight that nutjob with the blue hair. Ichigo…just what exactly are you?" She looked down at the river below and sighed. "Don't you trust me anymore to tell me what's happening?"

"I do not believe trust is something you should be worrying about."

Tatsuki spun around to see the white-skinned freak from before standing directly behind her. "You!" She backed up but found she'd nowhere to go. The feeling of Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure hit her right then, making her drop to her knees. "What…what do you want? Who are you?" she gasped, struggling hard to stay conscious.

Ulquiorra's emerald eyes narrowed. "My orders are to bring you to Lord Aizen. Thankfully, unlike your friend, I can use whatever means I wish." Ulquiorra took a step forward and his spiritual pressure came crashing down on her, driving her into the ground.

Tears ran down her eyes as she struggled to breath, losing consciousness. "Ichigo…help me…" she whispered before darkness took her. Walking over to the unconscious girl, Ulquiorra lifted her up and opened a Garganta, carrying Tatsuki with him back to Hueco Mundo, his task complete….

 _ **Much Later….  
**_ **Las Noches**

Orihime followed Ulquiorra in her new arrancar outfit. She'd been introduced to Aizen and had demonstrated her powers, vowing hard to prove herself useful so that she could find a way to help Ichigo from behind the scenes. She'd only been given a little time alone in her room when Ulquiorra came to fetch her, telling her that Lord Aizen requested her presence for something important. Ulquiorra didn't say what but Orihime had the feeling that it wasn't going to be good….

Orihime reached Aizen's chambers and saw that the other Espada, Gin and Tosen were already gathered. The human had to admit, the Espada were a motley bunch even when compared to the captains of the Soul Society. Sitting in his chair was Aizen, a small pillar beside him. Ropes of kido connected the walls to something behind Aizen's chair but she couldn't tell what it was.

"Good evening, Orihime. I trust your stay with us has been pleasant?"

"Yes." Orihime nodded as she walked into the room with Ulquiorra, not liking the smirking faces of most of the Espada. "What is it you need of me?"

Aizen shook his head. "Oh, I've no need for your assistance, Orihime. I merely wanted you here for this presentation. I'm about to add a new member to our forces and I believed you would like to see for yourself." Orihime gulped, knowing that Aizen was about to create a new soldier to throw at Ichigo and her friends. Aizen made a gesture to the pillar which opened up, revealing a small glowing object the size of a marble. "You recognize it, don't you?"

"That's-"

"The Hogyoku," Aizen finished standing up. "It has the power to break down the barriers between hollows and Soul Reapers. I thought you would enjoy a demonstration of its ability." Aizen stood up and picked up the Hogyoku. To Orihime's surprise, the chair disintegrated behind Aizen…

…Revealing a bound Tatsuki!

"NO!" Orihime screamed. Tatsuki was on her knees, naked as the day she was born, bound in black kido ropes. The black-haired girl was struggling to breath with the powerful spiritual pressures of the Espada and Aizen bearing down on her. "PLEASE!" Orihime pleaded as Aizen stalked towards the girl, smirking his evil smirk. "PLEASE DON'T! I'LL DO ANYTHING! ANYTHING!"

Ulquiorra clamped a hand across her mouth, silencing her. When Orihime struggled he grabbed both wrists and held them behind her back. "Lord Aizen has already made his decision. You will do nothing but observe, woman." He continued to hold Orihime as she squirmed in his grasp. When her hairpins glowed to summon her spirits, the Espada Tier Halibel stepped forward and removed them from her hair, leaving her powerless to save her friend.

Tatsuki looked up wearily at the man before her, not knowing of her impending fate. Silently, Aizen reached forward and pressed the Hogyoku to Tatsuki's bare chest. Orihime could hear her heart thumping madly, praying that nothing would befall her friend. Sadly, that prayer went unanswered….

As the Hogyoku pulsed, Tatsuki's eyes widened and she threw her head back, screaming in pain. "GAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" To Orihime's horror, a large hole opened up in her chest, signaling Tatsuki's hollowfication. A thick mask soon appeared on Tatsuki's face, looking like that of a strange mythical beast. The Espada stepped back as flames shot out of her hands as she struggled against her restraints. Soon she'd hollowfied completely, becoming a surprisingly small, yet fearsome looking hollow, her body covered in white scales and two wings on her back."AHHHHHH! IT HURTS! MAKE IT STOP! IT HURTS!" Orihime couldn't look away, no matter how hard she tried, tears running down her face as the mask on Tatsuki's face started to crack and break away.

A huge explosion of spirit energy broke the girl's bindings, flame-like spirit energy nipping at Aizen's feet as he simply stood there impressed at his new creation. Soon the fragments of Tatsuki's hollow mask hit the floor, with only a small white fragments on the sides of her head, like parts of a helmet. Tatsuki looked down at her nude body and saw a hole in her chest before looking up at the man who'd transformed her into a monster. Aizen simply smiled down at Tatsuki and put the Hogyoku away.

"Welcome, Tatsuki Arisawa. Welcome to Hueco Mundo, our new comrade."

To Be Continued


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 _ **Previously….**_ **  
Tatsuki POV**

Tatsuki could barely breathe as she struggled against her restraints. No matter how hard she pulled the black ropes made no sign of breaking, even against someone as physically strong as Tatsuki. In front of her was a chair. She could see someone sitting in it and tried to call out to him, ordering him to release her but she couldn't even open her mouth. Something kept pressing her down, like she was trapped at the bottom of the ocean.

It wasn't until her head dropped from exhaustion that she realized that she had been stripped of her clothes. ' _What? Where…where am I? Some sick perverted sex dungeon?'_ Her hearing started to come back to her and she could hear voices all throughout the room and it mortified her to know that she was nude in a room full of people while bound like some slave. ' _Where am I?'_

It was then that a voice caught her attention. "What is it you need of me?"

' _That's…that's Orihime's voice! What's she doing here?'_

Looking up with what strength she had left, she saw the chair before her dissolve, revealing the man who'd been doing most of the talking. He was a tall, handsome looking man with brown hair, with a little dangling in front of his eyes. To her shock she saw Orihime at the other side of the room, just as shocked to see her as she was to see Orihime. Seeing legs obstruct her view, Tatsuki looked up to see the man who'd been in the chair staring down at her, a small object that was pulsing blue in his hands. Tatsuki tried to struggle once more but the man's presence alone stifled her movements. Tatsuki felt like her head was about to explode before the man leaned down and pressed the glowing blue object into her chest.

And then Tatsuki's whole world fell apart.

Suddenly Tatsuki's vision faded and she found herself floating in a strange black void. Still naked, Tatsuki floated until she saw something rushing towards her. "What the?" Tatsuki screamed when she saw a massive white-mask rushing towards her. "NO! GET AWAY!" she screamed but it didn't listen. Slowly the monstrous creature opened its mouth, Tatsuki slowly drifting inside it….

And then it closed around her, devouring Tatsuki's soul.

In the real world, the Espada all watched as the naked human's chest opened up, forming a large hole. "GAHHHHHHHH!" Tatsuki screamed.

Inside the depths of her ruined soul, Tatsuki was drowning in a sea of white, all of her feelings and emotions being stripped away, leaving her with a unending pain as she was transformed into something less than human, as if her heart was being gouged out. She wanted her parents, her friends, Orihime, Ichigo. She wanted anyone to come save her but she felt as if her own will was being corrupted.

Orihime watched as the girl who'd been like a sister to her transformed, her hands and feet morphing into claws as her skin turned white. A large mask of a fearsome creature with sharp teeth formed over the girl's face, a tail sprouting behind her along with two wings. Soon Tatsuki's screams became roars as power flowed through her by the Hogyoku's will. "GAHHHHH! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!" Orihime couldn't look away; no matter how hard she tried, wishing this was a terrible nightmare.

But the nightmare was real. Inside Tatsuki's soul the girl was slowly being pulled apart, her naked body unraveling as the last of her mind began to fade away to pure white, her body disappearing starting with her feet. Just when she was about to fade into oblivion she was suddenly dragged out of the blinding sea and back into reality.

The newly created hollow screamed as her mask cracked, its body blasting apart. The Espadas braced themselves as flame-like spirit energy burst from the creature. Soon Tatsuki's hollowfied body crumbled away, revealing the girl beneath the monstrosity. To Orihime's relief she saw that Tatsuki looked okay, albeit she now had a hole in her chest and mask fragments on the sides of her face. Ulquiorra let go of her wrists as the restraints around Tatsuki's still-naked body faded away.

The newly created arrancar known as Tatsuki looked up to see Aizen smiling down at her. "Welcome, Tatsuki Arisawa. Welcome to Hueco Mundo, our new comrade." Aizen turned to Zommari who nodded. The dark-skinned Espada walked over to Tatsuki and threw a cloak over her, letting her cover herself. Orihime finally realized that Ulquiorra had let go of her and ran over to her hollowfied friend.

"Tatsuki!" Orihime cried as she crouched down, cupping her face. Her fingers brushed against her mask fragments and she paled, knowing that her friend had been thrown into a world she should never be a part of. "Oh my god! Tatsuki!" She hugged her friend tight before turning her crying eyes to Aizen, who had simply continued to look upon his handiwork. "You said…you said…that if I came willingly-"

"If you came willingly, then your friends would be spared from harm. Yes, that is what I said," Aizen said, his gaze fixed squarely on Orihime. "But I have not harmed Tatsuki. Yes, I've hollowfied her, but she has not physically been harmed," he pointed out, feeling smug from the look on Orihime's face once she'd understood he'd exploited a loophole in their agreement. "If anything, I've improved your friend, wouldn't you say?"

Orihime had tears run down her face as she stared at Aizen, remembering how her brother became a hollow and all the pain he'd suffered. Turning her gaze back to Tatsuki, she was glad to see that her shaking and sweating had died down. "Tatsuki…."

The hollowfied schoolgirl stared at the floor, feeling…bizarre. She could feel power deep within her and it scared her as well as a deep craving. Pulling the cloak tighter against her, Tatsuki stared up at the man. The man's unbearable spiritual pressure no longer hindered her, allowing her to stand. "Who…who are you?" she asked, finding her voice. She glared at the man as looked around. The people around the room all had mask fragments like her but they were such a crazy-looking bunch that Tatsuki could hardly believe her eyes. "What am I doing here? And why is Orihime here?" Tatsuki stepped in between Orihime and Aizen, her eyes glaring daggers into the man.

Continuing to smile, Aizen rematerialized his chair and sat down. "Of course. First meetings warrant an introduction; my name is Souske Aizen. I brought you and Orihime here because I have need of your unique abilities."

"Abilities?"

Nodding, Aizen continued. "Yes, Orihime has a very unique healing ability, one that defies the laws of the gods themselves." Tatsuki looked to Orihime in bewilderment who merely nodded. "As for you, I suspected that you were no normal human." He gestured to Ulquiorra and Yammy, the latter of whom grinned at the scowling girl while the latter merely watched with his normal, unfeeling gaze. "No normal human could have survived an encounter with my Espadas. You surprised me and so I decided that you would be a great asset to me."

Tatsuki frowned at Aizen. "I'm…not normal? Yeah, I can see ghosts but…."

Aizen cocked his head. "Tell me, Tatsuki Arisawa. Did it ever occur to you exactly how you were able to see spiritual beings?" The girl remained silent, letting Aizen know she knew what he was talking about. "That's right; you have your friend Ichigo Kurosaki to thank for your newfound ability."

Clutching her robe tightly, Tatsuki merely glared at the man. "So why am I here exactly? And what does any of this have to do with Ichigo?"

Aizen made a gesture to Halibel who stepped forward, carrying a bundle of clothes. "I believe it has everything to do with Ichigo," he said matter-of-factly. He remained silent as Halibel handed the clothes over to Tatsuki, who stared at him wearily. Knowing what he expected her, Tatsuki shrugged off her cloak and started to get dressed in front of everybody, feeling mortified as she felt everyone stare at her, especially Aizen. It wasn't that he was looking at her with leering, lecherous eyes but rather…intrigue. Her outfit wasn't much which made her feeling even more embarrassed. It was a white one piece outfit, like a gymnast's, with black stripes around the center that traveled past her ribs. The outfit didn't cover her legs at all, only wearing boots that went halfway up her legs. Tatsuki gulped as the outfit rubbed against her crotch, feeling like most of her butt was still showing. "Good. Now then, if you'll please pick up your weapon?"

The black-haired arrancar looked down and saw a sword at her feet. Grabbing it, she felt a weird pulse from the blade, as if she was holding her own heart in her hand. "Ok, now what?"

Smiling, Aizen looked at Orihime. "Orihime, my dear, please step away."

"Why?" asked the confused orangette.

Holding up his hand, Aizen gestured to Aaroniero to step forward. Both girls stared at the strange arrancar; the man, if it was a man, wearing a long white coat with a frilly collar along with a high mask. "Simple, Orihime. While I always welcome new comrades, there are already ten Espadas in my ranks. If Tatsuki wishes to remain in Hueco Mundo, she'll have to take the place of one of them. Aaroniero," he turned to the masked arrancar. "Fight Tatsuki."

" _ **With pleasure.**_ " Aaroniero stepped forward. Orihime tried to step in between them out of fear of Tatsuki getting hurt but Ulquiorra sonidoed behind her, grabbing her by the arm. "Wait!"

"Lord Aizen has given you an order. If you value your friend's life, you'll obey him." Orihime paled, knowing that their deal was still in effect and willingly let the white Espada drag her away from her best friend.

But Tatsuki would have none of it. Taking a step toward Ulquiorra, Tatsuki's eyes seethed with anger. "Get your hands off of her, you creep!"

" _ **You've more pressing concerns to worry about.**_ " Tatsuki turned and her face turned pale when she saw Aaroniero at her back. " _ **Going down.**_ "

Tatsuki screamed as the floor beneath them suddenly vanished, the floor opening up to form a pit for the two arrancars to fight in. The newly-made arrancar hit the floor with a thud but she managed to get to her feet, her sword clattering to the ground nearby. Aaroniero landed on his feet, calmly standing before the girl as if he was admiring the weather. Or maybe not, who can tell with that bucket over his head…. Tatsuki glared at the arrancar and took up a fighting stance. "And who are you?"

" _ **I am the Number Nine Espada: Aaroniero Arruruerie,**_ " the Espada addressed. The man drew his sword and readied himself. " _ **I hope you enjoyed Lord Aizen's gift. If you think that it will save you though, think again.**_ " Tatsuki was not ready for the Espada as he suddenly charged her with inhuman speed. She only had enough time to barely duck, losing several strands of black hair in the process. Thankfully for Tatsuki, her years of training and fighting had honed her reflexes and skills and now that she had spirit energy fueling her new hollowfied body she could react much faster than normal. Aaroniero was taken by surprise when Tatsuki punched him in the stomach, sending him backwards. Aaroniero was surprised by the force of the blow, keeling over briefly before recovering. " _ **So, you seem to have a bit of fight in you.**_ "

Tatsuki scowled at the man, cracking her knuckles. "I've got plenty of fight in me, weirdo!" She charged the Espada but the man simply sonidoed out of her sight. "What the-" was all she got before Aaroniero tripped her, making her stumble and fall to the ground. When she rolled onto her back to get up she was looking down the pointy end of Aaroniero's sword.

" _ **Lord Aizen actually considered replacing me with this? I'm actually insulted. You haven't even bothered to pick up your zanpakuto,**_ " Aaroniero taunted before stomping down on Tatsuki's stomach.

"Ahhhh!" the girl screamed in pain from the harshness of Aaroniero's boot. Above her Aizen, the Espadas and Orihime looked on. Her hazel eyes tearing up, Orihime looked away, unable to watch. Aizen stared down at the two with mild interest, as if he already knew the outcome and was just enjoying the ride. Tatsuki rolled out of the way of the next stomp, feeling her hands start to burn. Looking down she could feel a hot current of energy flow through her and clenched her teeth in concentration. ' _If I have this power and I focus it into my hands…'_

If Aaroniero had eyes, they would've widened when a red sphere appeared in Tatsuki's hands. " _ **A Cero**_?" he gasped before Tatsuki let loose her power. Though inexperienced, her attack had enough bite to make even Aaroniero move away lest he suffer serious harm. Tatsuki's infantile cero slammed into the side of the pit. Tatsuki looked down at her hands in shock before looking back up to Aaroniero. Clenching her teeth again, Tatsuki concentrated harder, flowing more of that power into her hands and condensing it. " _ **Oh I think not!**_ " Aaroniero shouted as he charged her again, knowing that this cero would be more powerful than the last.

Tatsuki waited until the Espada was close enough to her before firing her attack, Aaroniero engulfed in the red blast. Her power spent, Tatsuki dropped to her hands and knees, panting for breath. "What…what was that…" she gasped between pants while staring at her hands. That rush of power hadn't died down and now her hands were starting to steam. "What's happening to me? It…it hurts!"

" _ **Your power is immature but it's still at the point where your body has trouble adjusting to it. No matter,**_ " Aaroniero said through the cloud of dust he was obscured with. " _ **If you're so afraid of your power, then allow me to relieve you of it and take it for my own!**_ "

Looking up, all of the blood in Tatsuki's body turned to ice when she got a good look at Aaroniero. Her cero had caused his mask to be destroyed, revealing something out of a nightmare. Aaroniero's head consisted of a long tank filled with red liquid and inside it were two hollow masks. "What…what in the world are you?" she asked, frightened of the creature in front of her.

" _ **Haven't you been paying attention? We told you, we are the Ninth Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie. Oh, and if you have a comment about our faces, keep it to yourself.**_ " Aaroniero cocked a thumb over to the Espadas looking on. " _ **We've heard it all before. But let's talk about you.**_ "

"M-me?"

" _ **Yes. We can see why your power interests Lord Aizen. It's fresh now, and more primal, like an infant's, but in time you could become an actual threat. So instead of waiting for you to grow and evolve…**_ " Aaroniero grabbed its left-hand glove and pulled, _**"We will evolve by devouring you.**_ "

If Tatsuki still had a heart it would've stopped. Aaroniero's hand wasn't' a hand. It was a brown appendage with a gaping maw and tentacles wrapped around it. "What the hell is that?"

" _ **This is MY zanpakuto. A lesson for you, Tatsuki. All arrancars possess a zanpakuto which is the core of our souls. When we release that power we call it resurrección. And this…is my resurrección:**_

Both Tatsuki and Orihime thought they'd lose their lunches when they saw Aaroniero's true form. Tatsuki wished from the bottom of her soul that her form wasn't anything like what she was seeing. Aaroniero's lower half morphed and grew into a massive purple blob-like creature. "What…in the world…are you…." Tatsuki shook in fear, backing away until she was up against the wall.

" _ **Do not worry. When we are through with you, you will not have truly died. Your body will simply become a part of mine. Like all of these unfortunate hollows.**_ " Beneath Aaroniero's upper half emerge tons of hollow skulls, crying out in pain. " _ **My power is Glutoneria. I devour hollows and add their power to mine. Just like I'm about to do to you, little girl.**_ "

"Like hell!" Tatsuki screamed, holding her hands together to form another Cero. "Eat this!"

The red Cero launched at Aaroniero's grotesque form but was promptly batted away with a large tentacle. " _ **Laughable. You actually intend to fight me while still in your sealed state? Stupid girl.**_ " A large halberd emerged from the blob and Aaroniero hauled back with it. " _ **Die.**_ "

Once again, only Tatsuki's honed reflexes saved her. The halberd impeded itself in the wall behind her. But she wasn't given any reprieve. Giant tentacles emerged from Aaroniero and lunged at Tatsuki. She was barely able to dodge the huge ones bearing down on her. The giant tentacles slammed down on the ground next to Tatsuki, leaving huge grooves in the floor before they reared back. ' _This is hopeless!'_ She looked for her sword and saw that it was at the other side of the pit. ' _And even if I could reach my sword I don't even know how to use it. What…what am I supposed to do?'_

Too lost in thought was Tatsuki since she never saw the small whip-like tentacle slam into her, crashing into the wall behind her. "Guh!" she groaned as she pulled herself away from the wall.

" _ **That blow would've cracked open a normal arrancar's skull. Your hierro must be tougher than I expected. Regardless….**_ " Aaroniero's faces leered down at Tatsuki as more tentacles emerged. ' _ **When I devour you, I will have your toughness!**_ "

Tatsuki started to lose all hope of winning. She was in a monstrous world fighting a grotesque monster while other monsters were looking on AFTER she'd been turned into a monster; this situation couldn't get any worse! She squeezed her eyes shut in terror as the tentacles slowly moved for her, intent on restraining her so that Aaroniero could devour her. ' _Ichigo…_ ' she thought as a tear ran down her face. ' _Ichigo…if you were here, what would you do?'_

She remembered how Ichigo was so tough, so brave. Fighting the hollow that attacked her and Orihime, duking it out with that blue-haired freak and the other two creeps. He would never give up, no matter what.

' _Ichigo would never give in to these creeps…and neither will I!'_

Aizen gave a rare smile as Tatsuki stood up, the fire back in her eyes. Beside him, Orihime also was surprised at the look of determination on Tatsuki's face, wondering what had happened to her friend to psych her up. Both of Tatsuki's fists started to glow red as she readied herself.

" _ **Seems you have a bit of fight left in you, Tatsuki**_ ," Aaroniero noted from atop his released state. " _ **But what can you do? You have no sword, no release form, not even your Ceros can stop me and I am one of the Espada. The abilities of over thirty-thousand hollows are at my command! What do you have?**_ "

Tatsuki held up a glowing-red fist. "I've these. That's all I need."

The Espadas and Aizen watched in fascination as Tatsuki charged the Espada, moving with supernatural speed. Her physical strength and speed were already at their peaks in her human body but now that she'd been hollowfied they'd increased further. Tatsuki deftly evaded more tentacles as they tried to crush and ensnare her. Scoffing in annoyance, Aaroniero tried his next tactic. " _ **Let's see how you handle this, little girl!**_ "

Hollow skulls emerged from Aaroniero's body, the victims of his rampant feasts. The skulls circled Tatsuki and snapped at her, trying to bite off her arms and legs. Tatsuki merely grunted as she punched one into oblivion before jumping onto another and using it as a foothold. Aaroniero watched in shock as she jumped from one skull to the other and leapt off more tentacles, quickly making her way to Aaroniero's most vulnerable part: it's exposed top half.

" _ **YOU LITTLE-**_ " Aaroniero readied its halberd, ready to spear Tatsuki in the chest with it. " _ **You're nothing!**_ _**I'm an Espada!**_ "

"No! You're a tank-faced freak!" Tatsuki screamed as she leapt high into the air. "RAAAAAAAAH!" With a burning hot fist she punched Aaroniero right in its head-tank.

" _ **No…**_ " Aaroniero gasped as its tank cracked. " _ **NO!**_ " The tank cracked more and more until…. " _ **NOOOOOOOO!**_ " The two skulls inside the tank screamed as it shattered. With the head gone, the body of Aaroniero and its released form began to dissipate and crumble. Tatsuki collapsed to the ground along with the two hollow heads which continued to scream in agonizing pain. " _Gahhhhhhhh!_ " one of the heads screamed. " _Lord Aizen! Save us! You promised…to free us from pain! Gahhhhhh!_ " it screamed pathetically, its savior looking on with disinterest as it died. The other skull merely grunted " **Damn it….** " before passing away.

Tatsuki panted in exhaustion as she watched her horrifying opponent die. "Whoa…" she thought, never seeing anyone die so horribly before.

Clapping snapped her out of her daze and she looked up to see Aizen applauding her victory. The man turned to the blonde woman who nodded. The blonde disappeared from Tatsuki's sight only for her to reappear in front of Tatsuki. "Come with me," she commanded, offering her hand. "Let's get you out of this pit."

Tatsuki cautiously took the hand and was pulled up to her feet. The blonde woman appraised the girl for a moment, cocking her head to the side before turning around, pointing to Tatsuki's sword. "Your zanpakuto. You'll need that."

"Oh…Okay…" Tatsuki walked over to her sword and picked it up wondering if her release form was as ugly and sickening as Aaroniero's. The Espada grabbed her by the arm and Tatsuki felt disoriented as she was sonidoed out of the pit, the world spinning for a moment. It wasn't until she felt that dark, crushing presence that she realize she was no longer standing in the pit and in front of Aizen.

"Very impressive, Tatsuki," Aizen congratulated. "I can see that my appraisal of you was correct; you are a special young girl. To have defeated an Espada without the use of your release form, let alone with your instinctive abilities alone is impressive." He turned to the other Espada and smiled. "Aaroniero is dead, but in his place we have a new comrade."

Tatsuki was too exhausted and even if she wasn't she probably wouldn't have been able to stop him as he placed a hand on her stomach. "Gahhhhh!" she cried out in pain as she felt her skin be pierced by Aizen's spirit energy. By the time Aizen was finished, the part of Tatsuki's outfit that concealed her stomach had been burned away. When Aizen took his hand away, Orihime gasped and almost cried when she saw a black gothic tattoo etched onto Tatsuki's skin.

"Our new number Nine: Tatsuki Arisawa."

Turning to the rest of Espada, Aizen smiled. "You are all dismissed for now. When I have need for you I will send for you. Ulquiorra, please escort Orihime back to her room." Aizen turned back to Tatsuki, who had to fight the urge to cower beneath his intimidation gaze. "Tatsuki, you will remain here with me for the moment.

We have things to discuss…."

To be continued….


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.  
**

_**Aizen's Chambers**_

Aizen motioned to a chair. Tatsuki got the hint and sat down, glaring at the man who'd been the cause of her inhumane transformation. "I won't fight for you!" Tatsuki said up front.

The lord of Las Noches sat back in his chair and stared down at the teen. "That remains to be seen." Continuing to smile, Aizen propped his head up on his hand. Tatsuki gulped from the way he was looking at her, as if he could see into her very soul with one glance. "So then, you wanted to know where Ichigo Kurosaki fits into this, I believe."

Tatsuki gripped the arms of her chair, the white stone cracking at her new strength. "Is he here too? What does Ichigo have to do with me and Orihime seeing ghosts?"

Aizen's continued smile unnerved her, making her break out in sweat. "No, Ichigo is not here. Although I have no doubt that he will be making an appearance before long. But that is the future. Let's talk about the past….

You and Orihime gained your spiritual sensitivity, the ability to see ghosts as you put it, when you were attacked by Orihime's brother, Sora."

"Sora?" Tatsuki looked at Aizen confused. "But he's been dead for years!"

"Yes, but his soul became a hollow and then he came to devour you and Orihime. Ichigo Kurosaki came to your aid and saved you. You remember this, don't you?" he asked with a speculative eye.

Tatsuki was silent for a minute before nodding. "Yeah…."

"After that incident, you developed spiritual awareness thanks to Ichigo's leaking spiritual pressure. Because he couldn't control it, it affected those closest to him. Namely you and your friends Orihime and Chad. When the Quincy, Uryu Ishida, used a bait to draw countless hollows to Karakura Town Orihime's and Chad's latent abilities were awakened. You yourself developed stronger spiritual awareness, that's evident enough since you survived the encounter with my Espada."

"You keep saying that name, Espada. What is it?" Tatsuki asked.

Aizen pointed to the number nine tattoo on her stomach. "Every arrancar here is given a number. The Espadas are my top ten lieutenants. You are number nine."

Tatsuki's hands began to steam as her anger got the better of her. "I will not fight for you! I want to go home! And Orihime too! You kidnapped us!" she suddenly yelped as her hands began to heat up past her tolerance. "Yow!"

"Temper, temper," Aizen scolded like he was chiding his own daughter. "Let's get back on track. We'll get to whether or not you'll fight for me in a moment. I had Orihime brought here because of her unique abilities. As for you, I knew that you would be of great use to me in other ways…."

Tatsuki gulped again at the implications of his sentence. "What do you mean?"

Aizen sat up in his chair. "I intend to use you to make Ichigo stronger."

Tatsuki blinked. "Make…Ichigo…stronger?"

"Yes. I've watched over Ichigo his entire life and it is my wish to help further his development. For this reason alone, I had you brought here and hollowfied you."

"I don't understand…."

"Nor do I expect you to." Aizen sat back in his chair, his face turning stern. "That is for another day. Now then, I believe you said you wouldn't fight for me?"

This time Tatsuki's voice rang with resolution. "No! I refuse! If Ichigo comes here, he'll stop you! I know he will!"

The Soul Reaper and Arrancar stared at each other for tense minute, sweat dripping down the side of Tatsuki's face when Aizen chuckled. "Ichigo will stop me, you say?" Aizen began to smile knowingly again. "How touching. Your faith in your friend is very moving." Tatsuki could feel his heated gaze as if he could see the love she had for him. "But I'm afraid to tell you, Tatsuki, that if Ichigo does come here, he will not be your salvation. You are a hollow. He is a Soul Reaper. If he meets you here, as you are now, he will be forced to kill you."

If Tatsuki still had a heart it would've stopped. "What?" she mumbled, her eyes widening. "He'll…kill me?"

"Yes. Him, Rukia Kuchiki or their Soul Reaper allies will kill you on principle alone. And once somebody has succumbed to hollowfication, they can never turn back. Even Orihime's powers of Rejection are unable to reject this inevitable truth. You can never be friends with Ichigo again. From the moment I hollowfied you, you became his mortal enemy."

Tatsuki's blood went cold as she sat there in her chair, her body going numb. ' _Ichigo's…my enemy? He'll…kill me?'_ She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt her eyes water. "NO!" she shouted. "Ichigo would never! I…he…" she lost her composure in front of Aizen, much to his amusement. "We're best friends! He'd never try to kill me!"

Aizen was silent for a moment, as if he knew something she did not. But what that was would have to wait. "Maybe he won't, but his Soul Reaper allies will. The fact is, Tatsuki, you can never be close with Ichigo ever again." He knew of the friendship that she had with Ichigo and it would make what happens later all the more bittersweet.

Tatsuki cried as she glared at Aizen, the source of her misery. "You…YOU…BASTAAAAARD!" Her hands glowed again as she lunged for Aizen, intending on knocking his block off. She got about three feet from the man when she felt like she was being crushed. "Gahhhhhh!" she screamed as she hit the floor, feeling like wet concrete was being slammed onto her. "Ahhhh!"

"Now, now, didn't I tell you to mind your temper?" Aizen scolded as he glared down at Tatsuki. "If you want to blame somebody, blame Ichigo." He let up on his spiritual pressure, letting Tatsuki up onto her knees. "Now then, as of now the Soul Society will have noticed that Orihime is missing and that she came here of her own free will. Which means that to them she is also their enemy. When they arrive here, they will show her no mercy."

"Ichigo…."

"Won't be able to protect her," Aizen responded. "However, while she is here she will be under my protection. How long that protection lasts…is up to you."

Tatsuki's red, puffy eyes looked up at Aizen. ' _So this is what he's getting at….'_

Aizen knew that Tatsuki caught on to his meaning and continued. "If you serve me, if you obey my every command, Tatsuki Arisawa, then no harm will come to Orihime, not by the Soul Reapers or by any of my arrancars. However," the evil in Aizen's eyes became apparent, "If you disobey me…if you refuse even the smallest of tasks…then Orihime will be the one who pays the price."

"You…slime…" she panted. "Using Orihime…as a hostage."

Aizen smiled. He wouldn't really harm Orihime; her abilities were far too valuable. However…Tatsuki didn't need to know that now did she? "So, Tatsuki. Do we have a deal?"

Tatsuki looked down at the ground and saw her own reflection in the black-tiled floor. She looked so different, with her white outfit, her number nine tattoo and her mask fragments. Her eyes began to water again at the realization that she'd never get to see her family, her friends, and Ichigo ever again. The thought of Ichigo as her enemy made her chest ache, knowing that they could never be friends again. All of her dreams and hopes for a future with Ichigo had now been smashed like cheap glass. But she knew something else: she had to protect Orihime, the only person she had left. ' _I…I have to protect Orihime. No matter what happens to me, I swear I will keep her safe.'_

Tatsuki looked up at Aizen with a resigned look on her face. "I…will serve you."

Aizen smiled down at her. "Good." The spiritual pressure keeping her on her knees faded away.

"Stand, Espada."

 _ **Later….**_

 __Tatsuki followed Aizen silently as he led her into her new quarters. She'd had a hard time taking everything in. This place was so enormous that it was hard to fathom the overall size of it. Coming up the stairs and out of a hallway, Tatsuki blinked when bright sunlight filled her vision, finding herself standing at a bridge, a massive complex at the other end.

"Welcome to Las Noches," Aizen said as he started to walk across the bridge. "This will be your new palace."

"Palace?" Tatsuki said, confused.

"Each of my Espadas reside in separate palaces, their own private quarters. Since you killed Aaroniero, you are now the rightful owner of the Ninth Espada's palace," Aizen explained as they walked across the bridge. Reaching the door, Aizen gestured to it. "Orihime's inside waiting for you. I've decided that for the moment, you will be her watcher. Get familiar with your new home, Tatsuki," he said as he began to walk back across the bridge. "Tomorrow I'll start your training."

"Why do I need training?" Tatsuki asked with her arms crossed.

"You still need to learn to control your new powers, as well as your released state. Come to my quarters tomorrow and I will begin your training," he demanded. Hearing nothing from the girl, Aizen turned around and his eyes bore into her.

Realizing that she was now in service to the despot, Tatsuki reluctantly nodded. "Yes, sir…" she quietly said, looking away.

Aizen smiled. "Good girl…." And with that he resumed walking across the bridge.

Tatsuki shivered as he walked away, hugging her arms. "I want to go home…" she muttered, on the verge of tears. Remembering her vow, she dried her eyes and took a deep breath. Putting a hand on the door she pushed it open and stepped inside her new palace. The first thing she noticed was how dark it was, with hardly any light as the door closed behind her. "Whoa! Total blackout," she said as she tried to get her eyes adjusted to the light. "Was that tank-head guy afraid of sunlight or something?"

"Tatsuki?" a voice called out through the dark. "Is that you?"

Raising a hand, Tatsuki made a red light as she tried to find the source of the voice. A golden glow met her red and she saw Orihime sitting on a cushion. "Orihime!" Tatsuki killed her light and ran forward, not even bothering to ask why Orihime's hairpins were glowing. Orihime hopped up off her cushion and met her best friend in a big hug. "Thank goodness you're okay…" Tatsuki said as she held her friend tight.

"I'm fine but…but…." Orihime couldn't say the word as she looked at Tatsuki's mask fragments. "I can't believe he did this to you! This is horrible!" she said, on the verge of tears.

Knowing she had to be strong for her friend, Tatsuki patted her head. "I'm fine. It's a weird feeling, having a hole in my chest. But I'm alright." She pulled Orihime close and ran her hand through her burnt-orange hair. "It'll be alright. I won't let him or anyone else hurt you."

Orihime nodded, a few tears leaking out. "I suppose…I should tell you everything that's happened."

Tatsuki nodded. "It would certainly fill in the blanks. I've been confused ever since I first woke up."

And for the rest of the day (or night, who can tell?), Orihime told Tatsuki everything, not leaving a single detail out. She told her about that night when her hollowfied brother attacked and everything that followed afterward. As Orihime wrapped up her story, Tatsuki looked at the ground saddened. "What's wrong, Tatsuki?"

"You mean besides the fact that I'm now Ichigo's natural enemy?" Tatsuki murmured, her eyes closing with sadness. "Why didn't he tell me this? I can understand why you didn't but…" Tatsuki curled up on her cushion, "Why didn't he tell me? I thought I was his friend."

"I think he didn't want you to know of his burden…" Orihime said. "I don't know if he would've ever had the heart to tell you that he was going to the Soul Society, not when the chance of coming back was small. I think he didn't want you to worry you'd never see him again."

"Too late for that," Tatsuki said looking up. "I'd figured out that something was happening with Ichigo. I saw him fight that blue-haired freak earlier." When Orihime gasped, Tatsuki smiled. "What? You think I wouldn't notice all those explosions that night?"

"Wow…I guess we couldn't keep anything from you, huh?" Orihime chuckled.

Smiling, Tatsuki pulled Orihime close until they lay on her cushion together, Orihime's head laying on her chest. "It's alright, Orihime. I don't hate you for keeping this from me." She held Orihime tight. "I won't let anyone hurt you, I promise."

"I know you will. I'm just…I'm just so sorry you got caught up in this. I…I want to try to use my powers to reverse your hollowfication but Aizen and Ulquiorra told me it wouldn't work…"

"Yeah, he told me the same thing." Tatsuki scowled. "And I don't want you to try." When Orihime looked up, confused at her resolve, Tatsuki explained. "If you did turn me back to normal, then Aizen will just hollowfy me right back to this. And if you did, you'll get in trouble. I'll stay like this for as long as it takes." She leaned down and kissed Orihime's forehead. "I will protect you, I promise."

Both girls lay there in the dark on the soft cushion, snuggling into each other when Orihime broke the soft silence. "Hey, Tatsuki?"

"Yeah?"

"…You really need to redecorate this place…."

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Monitoring Room**

"Awww!" Gin said as he watched the two girls cuddle. "They're so adorable!"

"Gin," Aizen said as he walked into the monitoring room. "It's not good manners to spy."

"But Cap'n Aizen!" Gin said smiling his Cheshire Cat-smile, "They're so cute when they're having a moment. And Tatsuki's so lovely when she's angry."

Aizen smiled. "Quite."

"So, I've a question, Cap'n Aizen. Tatsuki's an Espada, right?"

"Yes."

"So what's her aspect of death? I would've thought it would've been Sacrifice but Halibel's got that one."

Aizen looked at the monitor showing the two girls hugging each other and continued to smile, knowing exactly how things would play out. "That should be obvious, Gin."

The foxy rogue cocked his head. "You know, you keep being vague and cryptic and I'm gonna have to start charging you."

Merely chuckling, Aizen turned his back to Gin and continued to watch the two for a minute before shutting it off. Gin watched as the deceptive man walked out of the room before frowning.

"Why do I get the feeling he's got something naughty planned for Tatsuki?"

The End

 **A.N.: Why indeed?  
Please R&R. Feedback is always appreciative but please keep it constructive.  
Warning: Lemons next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
TatsukiXAizen

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.  
Warning: Lemon! Dub-Con! Don't like, don't read.**

 _ **The Next Day….  
**_ **Tatsuki's Palace**

Tatsuki was asleep on one of the large cushions, Orihime lying beside her. The newly created Espada curled up into a ball as she lay there, covered in cold sweat. As a hand reached out through the dark room to touch her shoulder, her eyes widened and she shot upright, screaming into the void. "ICHIGO! DON'T!"

"Having bad dreams?"

Tatsuki looked up to see Aizen standing over her. The man offered his hand and helped Tatsuki up. "Don't you know when to knock?" Tatsuki asked, glaring at her new master. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't you remember? Today I start your training," Aizen said. He turned to Orihime, who'd just woken up, and smiled at the frightened girl. "Orihime, stay here in Tatsuki's palace for the time being until she returns." Orihime silently nodded, wondering what this man had in store for her friend while knowing that if he was planning something there would be nothing to stop her. "Tatsuki, come with me."

Tatsuki followed Aizen out of her palace and across the bridge. As they walked, Aizen turned his head slightly to address her. "You seemed to be having a nightmare when I arrived. Not feeling well?"

"What do you care?" Tatsuki spat. "You're the one who did this to me!"

Aizen was silent, which scared Tatsuki for a moment. Finally, as they neared a large door, Aizen spoke. "Actually, I do care." He turned his head and in his brown eyes Tatsuki saw something that made her blood turn to ice. "I still have need of you, Tatsuki. You promised obedience after all and that is a promise I intend to make you keep."

Punching a wall next to her, Tatsuki glared at Aizen. "This little deal can't last forever!"

"It can and it will," Aizen said matter-of-factly.

Shaking a fist at him, Tatsuki glared. "When Orihime is safe and sound, out of your reach, you will pay for what you've done to the both of us!"

Aizen's voice was as cold as death when he turned to face her. "That sounds like a threat, young lady…" when Tatsuki took a step back out of fear he smiled. "Quite a good one at that. Now then, on to the matter at hand."

Pushing open the door, Aizen led Tatsuki into his private training room. It was a large white room with large pillars circling a sparring circle. At the top of each pillar burned a white flame. "What's with the flames?" she asked, curious as she walked into the circle.

The man smiled as he turned to face the girl. "Those flames are for you, actually."

"Me?"

Gesturing to her hands, Aizen continued. "Yes. I suspect, judging from your explosive spirit energy, that your true powers involve flames. If my suspicions are correct, these flames will greatly assist your abilities. But that is for later." He drew Kyoka Suigetsu and gestured for Tatsuki to do the same. "There is still much to teach you before we get to your resurreción." He smiled his faux-friendly smile as Tatsuki drew her zanpakuto.

"Let's begin…."

Tatsuki lost track of the hours that passed as she learned the essence of hollow combat. In addition to her Ceros, Aizen taught her how to focus her energy more efficiently. Tatsuki learned in rapid succession how to utilize smaller Cero-like attacks, Balas, and high-speed combat using Sonido. Though he didn't allow her to do it under his roof, Aizen instructed her on the essentials of the Gran Rey Cero, which he said was the most powerful Cero attack and, as an Espada, would be within her new abilities. While Tatsuki was glad she was learning how to fight, she did everything she could to hurt Aizen but the man read her every move like an open book, which was infuriating.

Getting a better grip on her new hollowfied body, Tatsuki was no longer affected by her burning spirit energy, her aptitude to learn on the fly matching Ichigo's in Aizen's eyes. ' _How interesting, Ichigo. She has the same adaptability you possess. How alike you two are, it's almost touching. It was wise of me to obtain her before she developed her abilities on her own,'_ Aizen thought as he sheathed his sword. "Now, Tatsuki. You've learned how to fight in your sealed state. Now it's time for you to show me your released form."

Tatsuki, covered in sweat and tired beyond a shadow of a doubt, panted as she stared up at Aizen. "My release? But I don't know-"

Once again Aizen looked at her like she was a disobedient child. "Yes, you do, Tatsuki." The girl gulped from the absoluteness in his words. Knowing what was expected of her, Tatsuki thought hard and concentrated on her blade, her zanpakuto steaming as her spiritual core was returned to her. As she opened her eyes she looked up at Aizen.

" _Blaze…."_

 _ **Much later….**_

Tatsuki dropped to the ground as she returned to her sealed state, her sword slipping from her hands to clatter onto the ground. Falling to her knees, Tatsuki took deep breaths. "So much power…" she gasped. "What the hell am I?"

All around her was evidence of Tatsuki's full power. Not a single spot of the sparring circle was not blackened from the heat of Tatsuki's powers. Everything had been scorched from the floor to the pillars to the walls of the chamber. Everything, that is, except for Aizen who simply sheathed his sword as he stared at the teen, completely unharmed. "Excellent, Tatsuki. A shame Ichigo isn't here right now," he seemed to taunt in his usual calm voice. "He'd make an excellent sparring partner for you, wouldn't you say?"

Tatsuki looked up and the anger was back in her eyes. "You…you…what do you want with Ichigo, anyway? How do you know so much about him? What are you, his fairy godfather?"

Aizen's smile made her shiver again, knowing that somehow her words weren't that far off the mark. "A fairy godfather? No, but I know Ichigo far better than you do, Tatsuki. I've watched his development all his life."

"That's creepy," Tatsuki noted as she hobbled to her feet. "What are you, a stalker or something?" she said with contempt. "I don't care what you say. I still care about Ichigo and I hope when Ichigo comes here you get what you deserve!" she spat, forgetting her place.

Aizen's smiled widened by a hair, but that small distance let Tatsuki know she said the wrong thing. "I'm counting on Ichigo to come here. But Tatsuki…" his eyes narrowed and once again Tatsuki saw what could only be described as evil incarnate in the dark brown depths. "That sounded a lot like insubordination. Don't forget that you agreed to fight for me against all who oppose me, including Ichigo."

The arrancar's mouth opened to issue an apology but she was brought down by Aizen's increased spiritual pressure. Pressed against the floor, all Tatsuki could do was scream in pain as Aizen neared her, his spiritual pressure feeling like the crushing depths of the ocean, growing with every step. "Please…" she gasped pathetically. "Stop…."

Just when she was on the verge of blacking out Aizen let up on his spiritual pressure. Aizen stared down at the girl with stern eyes, his dark persona enjoying the sight of the girl at his feet, knowing what his next move would be….

"Tatsuki," he said as the girl sat up. "I can forgive many things from my Espada. I give them much leniency to do and say as they please. You, however, are the one exception. You took an oath of obedience and any show of insubordination, whether intentional or not, is an act of disobedience. You know the price for that, don't you?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

All Tatsuki could do was sit there, her eyes close to tears as she remembered her promise to keep Orihime safe, no matter what the cost. "I'm sorry…" she said, lowering her head humbly before the man. "Please forgive me. I won't do it again…."

"Not good enough."

Tatsuki's eyes widened in horror as her head snapped forward. But Aizen merely stood there, continuing to smile. "I believe that you will have to prove that your loyalty is to me and not to Ichigo. Tatsuki," he said turning around with his back to the girl. "Come with me."

Shaking in fear, Tatsuki managed to get up, her legs trembling, and followed Aizen out of the training room to a different corridor. Taking ragged breaths, Tatsuki continued to follow Aizen down the corridor until he turned at a door on the right. "What room is this?"

Aizen turned to Tatsuki and smiled. "My room."

All of Tatsuki's worst nightmares could not match the feeling of dread as she entered the man's bedroom. The room was quite Spartan, with not much. Just a black couch on the side with small table in front of it….

…And a large king-sized bed, covered in scarlet sheets.

Closing the door behind them, Aizen circled the trembling Tatsuki until he was in front of her. Lifting her head up with a finger to her chin, Aizen looked into Tatsuki's scared eyes. "Tatsuki, if you wish to prove your loyalty, you will obey every command I give you without any hesitance. If you give even the faintest sign of refusal then the agreement between us will end. Do you understand?"

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Tatsuki nodded. "I…I do," she said, her voice shaking.

Sitting back against the bed, Aizen stared at her with the same look of intrigue he had when she first arrived at Las Noches. From his lips uttered a single word; a word that Tatsuki had prayed she wouldn't have to obey.

"Strip."

' _I have to keep Orihime safe…'_ Tatsuki told herself as her hands slowly made their way to her outfit's zipper. ' _i…I have to do this, for Orihime.'_ As her fingers gripped the zipper, she had one last thought as she heard the metal teeth be pulled apart as she dragged it down slowly, seeing the look in his eyes not fading. ' _Ichigo…forgive me….'_

Tatsuki pulled the white outfit down her legs as she finished unzipping it, stepping out of it before removing her boots, standing before Aizen completely naked. Covering herself with her hands, Tatsuki shivered in the room's cold air as she waited for her next command, fearing for her sanctity.

Aizen patted the spot on the bed next to him. "Sit." As Tatsuki obeyed him, he smirked when he saw that she was looking away from her, her hierro-skinned body continuing to shake in fear. "Tatsuki. Look at me…" he said softly, turning her head to face him. When Tatsuki saw how close their faces were she knew what was about to happen and accepted it, the look in her eyes turning from fear to resignation.

Tatsuki had always thought her first kiss would be with Ichigo. While she knew that Orihime was in love with him as well, she could not and would not deny her own feelings and attraction towards her best friend. Still, she'd always imagined her first kiss as something that she would cherish forever.

Now it became a memory she would try to repress for the rest of her life as Aizen pressed his lips against hers. Tatsuki's body went cold as the man's warm lips touched hers. As he pulled away from Tatsuki he narrowed his eyes at her while he gave his next command.

"Lie down on the bed."

Gulping in nervousness, Tatsuki crawled to the middle of the bed and laid down on her back. She closed her eyes as she heard the soft, low sound of clothes hitting the floor and feeling the bed dip. ' _Orihime…I have to be strong for Orihime…'_ she mentally repeated to herself. When a hand caressed her cheek she flinched out of fear. ' _I…must be strong…for…Orihime….'_

"Open your eyes."

When Tatsuki opened her eyes she saw Aizen in front of her, just as nude as she was. Tatsuki's cheeks turned pink when she got a good look at Aizen. She's secretly sneaked a peak into the boy's locker room a few times but none of her classmates matched Aizen's body in terms of fitness and…size. The Espada was unable to stop her teeth from chattering when she saw Aizen's manhood, knowing that it was going to go inside her. ' _I…have…to…for…Ori….'_

Tatsuki gasped when Aizen pressed his body against hers, the man giving her another sinful kiss as his hands started to caress her toned body, the girl shivering at his warm touch. As Aizen pulled away from the kiss he started to attack her neck, expertly working a moan out of Tatsuki. The hollowfied Tatsuki clawed at the bed as his hands softly cupped her breasts. She wanted to punch him in the face for groping her, like she'd normally do to Chizuru, but his hands were surprisingly soft and he knew what he was doing, easily getting the better of the inexperienced teenager.

As Aizen licked her neck, feeling her pulse start to quicken from his ministrations, one of his hands dipped down her chest, pass her hollow hole and her stomach until it came to her virgin honeypot. "You're quite wet, Tatsuki," he said softly into her ear, making her blush and look away. He turned her head back towards him with his free hand. "Look at me, Tatsuki. Do not look away. Understand?"

Knowing that there was no running or hiding from this, Tatsuki opened her eyes and looked at the man as he rubbed her pink lips with a finger. She bit her lip to try to suppress another moan but Aizen would have none of it, pressing his lips against her in a third kiss. "Mmmmh…" Tatsuki involuntarily went as his tongue slipped into her mouth, his finger also slipping inside of her wet snatch. Her hands clutched Aizen's shoulders as his tongue met hers, the kiss between them starting to become sloppy. This was all kinds of wrong to Tatsuki. She'd expected to be brutally taken or forced to perform some sick and twisted act. This though…this was worse. Much worse. He was making her enjoy it.

As Aizen slipped a second finger inside her, Tatsuki felt him press his body against hers, his manhood rubbing against her leg. ' _He's so big…'_ she thought as Aizen cupped her cheek, continuing to make out with her. Aizen's free hand returned to her breast and palmed it as he pumped his fingers in and out of her, the small digits scissoring inside her, stretching her walls and getting her even wetter. Soon the red sheets beneath them became soaked from her leaking juices. As Aizen slid his fingers out of her he broke the kiss and showed her his dirty hand. "Open your mouth," he commanded. Lost in the haze of newfound lust, Tatsuki slowly obeyed, her eyes becoming half-lidded as Aizen slid the two fingers into her mouth. "Taste yourself."

"Ahhhhh…" Tatsuki moaned as she felt her tongue be covered by her own juices as she sucked on his fingers. She lay there on the bed dazed as Aizen pulled his fingers out of her mouth, her body tingling. When Aizen lifted one of her legs up she looked down and saw Aizen's cock rubbing against her pussy. It was then that Tatsuki snapped out of her daze, realizing that she was about to lose her virginity in the worse manner possible. As Aizen pushed into her, Tatsuki squeezed her eyes shut, trying hard not to cry. ' _Ichigo…forgive me….'_

Aizen put a hand on her throat, squeezing it slightly and making her gasp in surprise. "I thought I told you to close your eyes?" Aizen said in a stern tone, his eyes making Tatsuki want to cry even more. "Much better," he noted as she turned to look at him and continued pushing into her. The teenager gripped the red bedsheets and groaned as Aizen stretched her pussy to its very limit, her eyes watering from the pain. She didn't have a barrier after tearing it from her physical activity she still retained the tightness of a virgin. ' _He's so big! I'm gonna break!'_

Keeping a firm grip on Tatsuki's shaking body, Aizen slowly began to pull out of her, making the girl give a small gasp as each thrust made her body shake. Aizen's hand continued to fondle her breast while the other hand sneaked closer to their conjoined waists and rubbed her clit. "AH! I…I feel…." Tatsuki moaned, her head fogging up as her body yielded to Aizen. She arched her back as Aizen nibbled on her neck. "Ohhh…" she moaned as the man started to thrust into her faster.

"Well, Tatsuki?" Aizen asked, smiling, knowing that the girl was succumbing to her inner desires. "How does it feel?" To make Tatsuki more pliable, he pinched her pink nipple. "Be honest," he commanded.

"It feels good…" Tatsuki moaned, the rational part of her hating herself for admitting it but she was unable to deny how good it felt. The man was rubbing against all of her most sensitive spots and it made her long for more, no matter how much she wished otherwise.

"Very good. Now then…."

Tatsuki was forced to give a low groan as Aizen slid out of her, part of her not wanting him to leave her deflowered cunt. "What…what's wrong?" she asked, afraid she might have done something to piss him off. Her answer came when Aizen positioned her onto her hands and knees.

"Nothing's wrong," Aizen said as he kissed her neck, pressing his chest into her back. His hands cupped her breasts as he slid back into her, slowly pushing his way until he'd bottomed out Tatsuki's cunt. Tatsuki let out a loud moan as she was filled again, only to feel him stop completely once she was filled. Leaning back, Aizen grabbed her by her wrists and started to fuck her with his inhuman strength.

"AHHH!" Tatsuki screamed as tears started to roll down her face. ' _OH MY GOD! IT'S TOO MUCH!'_ she thought as Aizen's tip pushed against her cervix, her mind being swamped by both pain and pleasure. ' _He's hitting spots I didn't even know I have!'_ Her body caved in to the pleasure as Aizen pulled on Tatsuki's wrists like the reins to a horse, pulling her down onto his cock with each pull, timing his thrusts with his pulling. Tatsuki could feel her body start to seize up, her vision whiting out and knew the truth….

She was enjoying it. Aizen was going to make her cum.

"AH! AHH!" Tatsuki started to scream as she felt the knot inside her come undone when Aizen pushed into her womb, the sharp pain sending her over the edge. Aizen merely halted his thrusts and waited for Tatsuki to come down from her intense orgasm. Tatsuki's head hung low as she panted, the whole world spinning as she felt like she was having an out-of-body experience. When she had finally came to her sense, she felt Aizen start to move again, his cock pushing back into her womb. "Guhhhh…" she groaned, struggling to breathe.

For what felt like an eternity, Aizen pounded away at Tatsuki's womanhood, making her cum over and over again. Tatsuki found herself in just about every position in the book before finally laying on the bed and letting Aizen fuck her missionary style. Aizen gave a rare, low moan as he himself felt close to release. Looking at Tatsuki's debauched face, the girl just barely clinging to consciousness, he smirked. "Scream my name when you cum," he ordered.

"AI…AI…AIZEN!" Tatsuki screamed at the top of her lungs as she came once more, feeling Aizen explode inside her. She felt the rush of cum inside her and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. "Ohhhh…."

Pulling out of the fucked-senseless Tatsuki, Aizen lay down beside her and turned her head, watching her eyes start to flutter back to awareness. "Tatsuki…who am I?"

"Ai…zen…."

"And who do you serve?"

"You…Aizen…."

The villain tapped her lips with a finger playfully. "That's Lord Aizen to you from now on, Tatsuki. And tell me: who is Ichigo Kurosaki to you?"

A single tear ran down her face as she was forced to say the words. "He means nothing to me. He is…my enemy."

Aizen gave a smile of false compassion. "Very good. We will repeat this as many times as you require to make sure the lesson sticks." Sitting up, he caressed her cheek sweetly before smiling again. "Go to sleep," he commanded. "When you awaken, return to your palace until I call for you."

"Yes…Lord…Aizen…." Tatsuki said quietly before blacking out, her body and mind too exhausted to take any more. Aizen got dressed and promptly left, part of him admiring the girl's bravery. He knew full well that when Ichigo learned of what transpired between them he would be enraged; which was exactly what Aizen wanted. After all, if life was a play, then Ichigo would be its hero.

And all heroes were defined by tragedy; a tragedy that Aizen would write for Ichigo with Tatsuki and Orihime as his pen and ink.

To be continued….


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
TatsukiXOrihime

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.  
Warning: Lemon! Yuri! **

_**The Next Day….  
**_ **Aizen's Bedroom**

Tatsuki awakened from her restless slumber to find that she was alone in the bed. She was surprised to find that despite the brutal pounding she'd gotten yesterday she felt completely fine. ' _That must be my Instant Regeneration Aizen was talking about…'_ she thought as she examined herself. Still, she felt…dirty from how she had submitted to the man but she stayed strong. ' _I don't care what he does to me. Protecting Orihime is all that matters.'_

Getting out of the large bed, Tatsuki quickly got dressed again and left the room, wanting to put as much distance between herself and Aizen as much as possible. Remembering the way she came, Tatsuki passed through the sparring chamber and was surprised to see that it was back to normal. Not a trace of Tatsuki's flames remained, the white flames atop the pillars burning dimly.

Exiting the room, Tatsuki continued on back to her palace. However, she was not alone in the hallway, coming across her fellow Espada, Nnoitora. The insanely tall Arrancar leered down at the teen as she walked by. "Well hello there, newbie!" he said grinning. "Did you have fun last night? Most of us could hear you from the other side of Las Noches," he taunted.

"Shut up!" Tatsuki retorted, moving by the Espada only for him to bar her way with an arm slamming into the wall in next to her.

"Now, now, don't be like that! We're on the same team, after all!" Nnoitora smiled as he leaned down until they were at eye level. "We should be friends. You know, like you and your little Princess. So tell me," his eyes gleamed with malicious deviousness as he continued, "Is she as… _soft_ as she looks? I'd imagine you'd know, what with you two being such good friends."

"You leave Orihime out of this!" Tatsuki ordered. However, she was shocked when Nnoitora stuck out his tongue, revealing his Espada tattoo.

"You're in no position to boss me around, girlie. I'm Espada number five. You're number nine. If you and me were to go head to head, it'd be quite easy for me to paint the walls here with your blood." He grinned when he saw Tatsuki shake and patted her head. "Besides, my hierro is the strongest among the Espada. Your little blade couldn't cut me even if you tried."

"Get your hands off me!" Tatsuki shouted, pushing his hand away.

"Hmph, such an unfriendly tone," Nnoitora leered. "I wonder if your friend has the same attitude. I think I might drop by your palace and pay the little Princess a visi-" Nnoitora was silenced when Tatsuki grabbed him by the one place even he was vulnerable at: his balls.

"You listen and you listen good!" Tatsuki yelled as she gripped him with grip strong enough to crush him. Nnoitora's eyes almost bulged out of its socket as he felt his sensitive sac on the verge of getting crushed. "You will stay away from Orihime! And you're gonna stay away from me, GOT IT?" she roared, already having had enough of the twisted man in her presence. "If you so much as lay a hand on Orihime, I'll make sure you'll never be able to get it up again!"

"OKAY!" Nnoitora gasped, dropping to his knees. "I won't touch her! Now for pity's sake LET ME GO!"

When he looked up he saw a glowing red fist shooting towards him. Tatsuki punched the man as hard as he could, sending him into a nearby wall. Nnoitora gasped as he lay on the ground, just thankful his nuts were okay. Tatsuki had cracked her hand by hitting him but she knew she'd heal. Besides, when she got a good look of Nnoitora's face, she saw a burn in the shape of her fist in the side of his head. "Guess your hierro doesn't protect you from heat. Good to know. Later, weirdo!" she said, storming off. Nnoitora merely laid there on the floor, nursing his injured face and balls.

While the two Espadas had their argument, meanwhile, Gin watched them from behind a corner. Watching the girl knock the powerful Espada to the ground, Gin let out a low whistle.

"They're beautiful when they're angry."

 _ **A few minutes later….  
Tatsuki's Palace**_

Orihime let out a sigh of relief when Tatsuki opened the doors and entered the dark palace. "Tatsuki!" Orihime ran up the Espada and hugged her friend. "Thank goodness! When you didn't come back after a few hours I was starting to get worried."

"I'm…" Tatsuki wanted to say that she was fine but she didn't want to lie to her friend because she was most definitely NOT fine. "I had a rough day." She looked around and saw that it was a bit brighter than yesterday. "Where'd all the lanterns come from?"

"Ulquiorra brought them. He also brought me my dinner. I asked him where you were but…" she looked away, her eyes filled with worry. "He said that Lord Aizen was…was giving you discipline."

Sighing, Tatsuki sat down on a cushion and looked down at her hands. "Well…I may have slipped up and told Aizen…" she remembered that her new master kept tabs on everybody in Las Noches, "LORD Aizen that I still cared for Ichigo. And then he…and then he…" she couldn't say it, not to her best friend. She knew she had to be strong but this was harder than she'd ever imagined. When Orihime sat down next to her the orangette saw that her eyes were filled with tears. "He…."

Seeing the pain in her best friend's eyes made Orihime's face sadden. "What…what happened, Tatsuki?" she asked, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "It's alright. You can tell me." She had a feeling that whatever happened between her and Aizen was serious. "Did he…hurt you?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

Tatsuki was silent for a moment before finally letting a sole tear run down her face. "He…he took my first kiss…my…first _everything!_ " she gasped. She tried to be strong for her friend but…what he did was beyond horrific. "I…had no choice but to let him have his way with me. I…had to tell him that…Ichigo…that Ichigo was my enemy," she sobbed, unable to hold the tears back. Orihime gasped before pulling her friend into a tight hug, running a hand through her hair in a comforting gesture. "I'm sorry," she said.

"It's alright…" Orihime softly said. "You really care for Ichigo, don't you?"

Drying her eyes, Tatsuki looked up and nodded at Orihime. "Yeah. I know that you love him too but…to think of him as my enemy…is almost more than I can bear…." She'd expected her friend to be repulsed by her words, considering that Tatsuki had been the one who'd tried to push Orihime to confess her feelings. Instead, Orihime merely smiled and held her friend tight. "I'm sorry, Orihime. I guess I'm just as bad as the rest of the Espada…." She was surprised when Orihime simply smiled. Then she did something that further surprised her.

Orihime pressed her lips against hers. As the girl kissed the Arrancar she pushed her down until she laid back on the cushion, her hand running through her dark hair soothingly. When she pulled away she smiled down at the confused Tatsuki. "It's alright, Tatsuki. I know that you're doing this to protect me. So I want you to be _my_ first." Not wanting Tatsuki to try to stop her, she pressed herself against the Espada and kissed her again.

 _'Orihime…'_ Tatsuki wrapped her arms around Orihime's waist and let Orihime's tongue enter her mouth. The best friends moaned into one another as their tongues connected, their bodies heating up from the intimacy. The Arrancar's eyes widened when Orihime wrapped her lips around her tongue and started to suck on it. "Mmmmh!" She heard a tugging at her chest and could hear the sound of Orihime unzipping her outfit. When she finally let go of her tongue, Tatsuki looked at her friend with heated cheeks. "Orihime…where'd you learn to do that?"

The shy girl giggled. I remembered seeing it in those magazines Chizuru showed me." Continuing to remember what Chizuru showed her in the lewd magazines, Orihime started to kiss Tatsuki's neck while she finishing unzipping Tatsuki's outfit. Sitting up, Orihime started to strip her friend of her clothes, starting with her boots. Tatsuki merely lay there on the cushion as Orihime pulled her white outfit away, the human blushing at the teen's beautiful, toned body. "Tatsuki…."

She was taken by surprise when the Espada leaned up and readjusted them so that Orihime was sitting on her lap. Taking Orihime's lips in another passionate kiss, Tatsuki reached behind the girl and started to unzip her white outfit. As she felt Tatsuki's hands pull it away from her, Orihime shrugged out of her outfit, letting her bare breasts be exposed. The orangette cooed as Tatsuki cupped her large melons, her thumbs circling her hardening nipples. "You know, it's kinda funny," Tatsuki said in a low voice, her face nearing Orihime's naked tits, "Ever since we met, I've always been kind of jealous of you because of how your breasts got so big…." She licked a light-pink nipple, making Orihime shudder. "But more than that, I've always wanted to suck on them like a baby."

Orihime rolled her head back as Tatsuki wrapped her lips around Orihime's boob and started to suck on her breast. She hissed as her fingers pinched her other, neglected nipple, making a burning heat flourish throughout her body. "Tatsuki…" Orihime moaned, running a hand up Tatsuki's back and making the girl moan into her boob. As soon as she decided that she'd indulged enough, Tatsuki switched sides, sucking on her other breast. A loud gasp filled the empty palace as Tatsuki gripped her nipple with her teeth and pulled back, stretching it out. "Ah! Tatsuki!" she cried out, gripping her shoulders as her boob was stretched to its limit. Tatsuki let go of her, the nipple slipping out of her mouth with a small _pop!_ and the two smiled at each other. "More?" she asked the Arrancar.

"More."

The two stood up temporarily so that they could get Orihime's pants off. Getting down on her knees, Tatsuki undid the black sash holding Orihime's pants up and watched as they hit the floor, leaving the girl wearing nothing but a pair of white panties, already wet. Orihime closed her eyes as she felt Tatsuki remove her underwear. She had been naked with Tatsuki before in the school locker-room during gym class but this was much different. Stepping out of the pool of clothes at her feet, Orihime felt hands on her soft thighs. Her hazel eyes widened when she felt Tatsuki's tongue touch her wet lips, a loud gasp escaping her.

Tatsuki eagerly licked her friend's honeypot, losing herself to her lust as she continued on. She'd considered herself as someone who was into women but making out with Orihime had opened up a door she'd never known. Her nose pressed against Orihime's small patch of hair, inhaling the girl's scent as her tongue ran along the wet, dripping folds of Orihime's pussy. Her hands ran across Orihime's smooth thighs until they reached her center. Orihime blushed heavily as she spread her lips open, letting Tatsuki slip her tongue into her pink flower. "AH! Tatsuki!" Orihime gasped as she felt her hot organ snake deep into her pussy. She could hear the sound of her best friend's slurping fill her ears, making her skin tingly and hot.

As the Espada continued to eat out her best friend her hands slipped around her to grip her peachy ass. Taking her tongue out of Orihime's pussy, Tatsuki licked at the girl's sensitive nub. "AHHH!" Orihime shrieked, her hands going to her face as her body starting to give in to the pleasure. "Tatsuki! I'm gonna cum!" Smirking at her reaction, Tatsuki resumed eating out Orihime, her tongue going deep inside her. While one of her hands continued to palm her juicy ass, her other hand went to Orihime's clit, rubbing it, sending sparks of pleasure throughout her body, sending her over the edge. "TATSUKI! I'M CUMMING!" she shouted, spraying her juices all over Tatsuki's face.

Orihime's legs wobbled and she kept a tight grip on Tatsuki's shoulders to keep herself steady. Seeing the dazed look on Orihime's face, Tatsuki stood up and gently laid her down on the cushion. When Orihime saw how soaked Tatsuki's face was, she licked the Arrancar's cheek. Tatsuki sighed as her friend licked her face clean. "Wow, I taste good…" Orihime moaned. Smiling and licking her stained lips, Tatsuki kissed her friend deeply before getting up. As Orihime sat up she saw Tatsuki get onto her hands and knees and turn her ass towards her.

"Now you taste me," Tatsuki said, her eyes glazed over with pleasure.

Smiling, Orihime got onto her knees and palmed Tatsuki's ass, her face leaning forward. "Tatsuki's pussy…" she moaned as her face neared her. "Mmmmh…." Her tongue stuck out and gave her leaking folds a long lick. Tatsuki arched her back as Orihime started to lick her wet core, her head laying on the large cushion and closing her eyes. Orihime moaned into her best friend's snatch as her tongue slipped into her pussy, tasting her friend. Her hands massaged Tatsuki's ass as her mouth continued to taste her friend.

As she lay there, Tatsuki reached down and started to rub her clit, making that hot, boiling feeling inside her start to run wild. "Ori..hime…" she moaned, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. "You're gonna make me cum!"

In response, Orihime continued to lick Tatsuki's pussy and slipped two fingers inside her along with her tongue, making Tatsuki gasp in ecstasy, the coil inside her coming undone. Like she had done to her friend, Orihime's face became covered in Tatsuki's juices as the Espada came, writhing on the cushion as her vision faded to white. As Tatsuki finished climaxing, panting while she lay there, Orihime grabbed her black sash and wiped her face clean. When Tatsuki came to her senses she rolled over on the cushion and smiled at her friend. "Come here, Orihime…" she beckoned, spreading her legs.

Orihime smiled and laid down on top of Tatsuki and the two embraced in a hot kiss, their breasts pushing against each other. Figuring what Tatsuki had in mind, Orihime put her knee on Tatsuki's wet pussy and pushed, Tatsuki responding in kind. "AH! Tatsuki!" Orihime moaned, holding on to her friend tightly. Tatsuki's hands gripped Orihime's round ass as she began to grind her knee against Orihime's pussy, their bodies molding together as they got each other off. To further entice Orihime, Tatsuki began to suck on Orihime's neck, tasting her slender skin. "Oh god!" Orihime moaned as she continued to grind her pussy against Tatsuki's pussy.

Tatsuki's fingers sunk into Orihime's ass as she leaned up to kiss Orihime. As they parted, the two girls looked each other in the eye. "Orihime…" she moaned. "Are you close?"

"Yes…" Orihime gasped, holding on to Tatsuki as her knee pressed against her sensitive clit. "I'm gonna cum!" She could feel her nipples rub against Tatsuki's and it only added more fuel to their lustful fires. When they locked eyes both girls had an idea. Orihime got off of Tatsuki and sat backward, spreading her legs. Grabbing her feet, Tatsuki pulled Orihime towards her, their pussies rubbing together. As the Espada and human scissored they threw their heads back, their lower halves becoming soaked from their gushing juices.

"TATSUKI!"

"ORIHIME!"

Tatsuki's palace filled with the sound of their moans as they continued to climax, both girls arching their backs as they came. By the time they finished both of them were completely exhausted, their bodies spent. Recovering first, the tired Tatsuki grabbed Orihime and laid her on the cushion, lying down next to her. Opening her eyes, Orihime laid her head on Tatsuki's shoulder and took deep breaths. "Tatsuki…" she whispered.

The hollowfied girl kissed her forehead and held Orihime tight. "Orihime. I promise that no matter what happens to me, I'll always protect you. I won't let anyone hurt you."

"I know, Tatsuki. Thank you." Orihime snuggled into Tatsuki's embrace and together the two girls fell into a calm, soothing sleep….

To be continued


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _ **Several Days Later….  
**_ **Tatsuki's Palace**

Both Orihime and Tatsuki sat on the cushion, Orihime in Tatsuki's lap. Orihime sighed as Tatsuki sank her teeth into her shoulder, the Espada feeding off of her. It'd become a bit of a problem early on when Tatsuki started to feel weak and faint. Aizen had told them that, as a hollow, she needed to feed. Both of them were horrified at the implications before Orihime came up with a solution….

"Feed off of me," she said, undoing her outfit.

"Come again?" Tatsuki asked, confused as she lay on the cushion, panting.

"You can absorb spirit energy, right? So you can have some of mine. That should work, right?"

Tatsuki was apprehensive at first but knew that the alternative was too horrific to bear. Letting Orihime climb onto her lap, Tatsuki bit down on Orihime's shoulder and started to suck, drinking in her spirit energy. The girl had never tasted anything as delicious as this. It was sweet. Almost TOO sweet. But she soon felt the gnawing inside her die down and her strength returning to her. Orihime gave a sigh of relief when she stopped absorbing her energy, starting to feel faint. Tatsuki saw this and scowled. She didn't want to do anything at Orihime's expense so she bit down on Orihime's shoulder again.

"Tatsuki?" Orihime gasped when she felt a little of Tatsuki's spirit energy flow into her.

It was only a small amount but the girl figured it'd be enough. Taking her mouth away from Orihime, she smiled at her friend. "Just something to help supplement what I took. Thanks, Orihime."

The two girls hugged but their happy moment when they felt a burst of spirit energy. Both girls knew exactly what it was. Or, to be more precise, WHO it was.

"Ichigo!" Orihime gasped.

Tatsuki's eyes lit up for the first time since she'd been brought to Las Noches. "He's here!"

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Desert of Hueco Mundo**

Ichigo sat silently away from the others as they rode atop the back of Nel's pet, Bawabawa. They'd been riding on the strange hollow for the better part of an hour, with Las Noches slowly getting closer and closer. They'd been reunited with Renji and Rukia but even though he was grateful for the backup, Ichigo still felt terrible at himself.

Pushing his glasses up, Uryu stood up and walked over to Ichigo. "Are you alright?" he asked his friend/rival. "You've been quiet for a long time." It wasn't that he was concerned for Ichigo, he'd never admit that, but he didn't want Ichigo's morale to be down before they even got close to saving Orihime. "You seem troubled."

Turning away, Ichigo merely stared out at the desert, his mind wandering to a certain person. "I just wish I could've spoken to Tatsuki before we left. I haven't seen her since I went to go train with Shinji and the Vizards."

Uryu looked at Ichigo intently. "Would you have told her?" He knew that she had been searching for Ichigo during the month he'd vanished but kept quiet, knowing it'd only hurt Ichigo more.

"Maybe. I…think she kinda knew that I was a Soul Reaper." He gave a quick glance at Uryu before turning back to the desert. "I just wish I could've seen her again before I left, that's all. I don't want her to worry about me."

Uryu looked away, not sure if he should tell Ichigo something. When he'd first learned of Orihime's kidnapping he'd searched the town for the girl. Though he'd found no signs of her anywhere, he realized that there was no sign of Tatsuki either. The last trace he'd found of her was her bag that he'd found on the bridge, just lying there. It'd worried him greatly when he detected faint traces of an arrancar's spiritual pressure, knowing the implications. ' _But why would Aizen want Tatsuki? She has no special abilities unlike Orihime. There'd be no real advantage to taking her. I pray that I'm wrong about this….'_

Ichigo saw the look in his eyes and scowled. "You know something, don't you?"

Turning his back to Ichigo, Uryu stood up. "It's nothing. Just focus on saving Orihime." As he sat down next to Rukia and Chad he sighed in exasperation. ' _Please let me be wrong….'_

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Las Noches: Espada Meeting Room**

Tatsuki was the last of the Espada to gather, her gut gnawing at her from her stressed nerves. It may have been brief but she knew that she felt Ichigo's presence. And judging from how fast Aizen assembled the Espada it was a safe bet that he knew too.

Taking the empty spot at the end of the table, next to Halibel, Tatsuki sat in her chair and waited. She noticed that most of the Espada were looking at their newest member. The looks were varied. Grimmjow and Nnoitora, who hadn't remembered when Tatsuki slugged him, leered at her while Zommari and Halibel stared at her with intrigue. Yammy, Barragan and Ulquiorra didn't seem to care about her and Szayelapporo was busy with a device in his hand. And Stark was asleep, which didn't surprise anyone.

"Good to see you, Espadas," came Aizen's voice. Tatsuki turned and saw that him in the doorway. "It appears we've been invaded. Kaname," he turned his head as he sat down. "Show them the image."

Tosen turned a key and a circle opened up in the table, revealing an image of outside. Tatsuki saw a large worm traveling across the desert and several people riding atop its back. She recognized them immediately. Chad, Uryu, Rukia, Renji…and Ichigo.

"These are the invaders," Aizen explained. "They are here for Orihime Inoue."

Ulquiorra turned to his master. "Your orders, Lord Aizen?"

Tatsuki held her breath, knowing that anything Aizen sad would mean certain doom for Ichigo and her friends. She desperately wished Ichigo would turn around and leave, just so he could be safe from Aizen's clutches. She feared for him. She feared for him more than she feared for herself.

"Nothing."

The Espada blinked. ' _Huh?'_

"They are of no threat to us. We need not do anything." His gaze went from each Espada until finally his eyes landed on Tatsuki, who could feel the blood rush from her face as they locked eyes. "That's what our newest comrade is here for. She will take care of the intruders. Won't you, Tatsuki?"

All at once, Tatsuki felt like a piece of meat in the den of lions. She made a promise to Orihime that she would keep Orihime safe, no matter what happened to her. But this…to kill her own friends….

All of the Espada noticed how quiet Tatsuki was. "Well, Tatsuki? Don't you remember our agreement?" Aizen said, his eyes narrowing. Suddenly Tatsuki felt Aizen's spiritual pressure bear down on her. It wasn't enough to knock her to the ground but she knew that he was telling her that he wouldn't take no for an answer.

Tatsuki's mind echoed back to the promise she made when she realized she could no longer go home, that her old life was dead. " _I will keep Orihime safe. No matter what happens I will never let him harm her."_ Taking a deep breath and, on the verge of tears, Tatsuki nodded. "Yes, Lord Aizen…."

Smiling, Aizen looked at the girl before turning to the rest of the Espada. "Very well then. Espada, return to your palaces. There is no need to fear the intruders. Tatsuki will take care of them for us." He turned back to the terrified girl and his gaze hardened. "Tatsuki, remain seated. You and I will talk more in private."

The Espada all got up and started to leave. Tatsuki wished that they didn't, not wanting to be alone with this man. She couldn't feel any part of her body, fear keeping her rooted in her seat. "I…I…" she couldn't say anything, her orders too horrific for her to bear.

Aizen sipped his tea for a moment, a long pause filling the room, followed by the clinking sound as he put the cup down. "I understand, Tatsuki," he said with faux-compassion. "It is a hard thing I'm asking you, but I know that you will be able to succeed. I wouldn't have trained you had I thought otherwise." He sat back and his chair and smiled. "You need not eliminate all of them. Only Ichigo Kurosaki poses the biggest threat. Deal with him and you will not have to deal with the others."

"Deal…"Tatsuki whispered, her lips shaking. "You…want me…to…to…"

"Yes," Aizen's eyes radiated evil as he stared at the girl. "Kill Ichigo Kurosaki. Since you're obviously torn between your loyalty to me and your former friendship with the boy, let me put this in a way that will help you make your decision:"

"Kill Ichigo or I will have Ulquiorra kill Orihime."

Tatsuki stood there, stunned at the ultimatum. She was backed into a corner and was faced with an impossible choice. On the one hand she had the life of Ichigo, the boy she loved most, who'd been her friend since she was a little girl. And on the other hand she had the life of Orihime, her best friend who'd been like a sister to her, who she'd sworn to protect. Their lives were balanced on a scale and Tatsuki was the one who had to choose who she loved more.

Balling her fists, Tatsuki resigned herself to her fate, knowing that she couldn't run from it, no matter how hard she tried. A small stream of tears ran down her face as she bowed her head. "Very well then, Lord Aizen. I…will do as you command."

On shaky legs, Tatsuki stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Aizen alone to brood over his plan. Sipping his tea, Aizen gave a soft smile. Ichigo's capabilities were strong enough now that he was a match against Grimmjow. But even though Tatsuki was considerably weaker than Grimmjow in terms of power and strength, there was no way Ichigo would dare fight at full power against Tatsuki. And not only that, but Aizen had given Tatsuki a little something to give her an added edge.

Sipping his tea once more, Aizen looked toward the image on the table, still projecting. Focusing the picture onto Ichigo, Aizen smiled in amusement. "So, Ichigo, what will you do? How far are you willing to go to save Orihime?"

 _ **Several Hours Later….  
**_ **Hallways of Las Noches**

Ichigo ran through the hallway as fast as he could, his recovery from his battle with Dordoni slow. He'd left Nel and her brothers outside so she wouldn't suffer the Espada's wrath. He headed up the stairs and struggled to find a pathway to the top of Las Noches, where Uryu hypothesized where Orihime resided. "Hang on, Orihime! I'm coming!"

The first shock was the burst of sunlight when he came upon the open desert under the canopy of Las Noches. "But…how? It was night outside! How does that work?" He looked around and saw a bridge in front of him, leading to a large building. "Could Orihime be in there?" he mused. It certainly looked ominous enough to be a prison. His eyes caught something on the bridge and saw a figure standing in the middle of it. "Hey!" He jumped onto the bridge and faced his new opponent. He saw that the arrancar was covered by a white robe but from the body figure he guessed it was a woman. "Who are you? And where's Orihime!"

The stranger stared at Ichigo under her hood before turning to her palace. "Come with me," she said, slowly walking toward it.

"Wait…" Ichigo's eyes widened. "That voice…." His head confused, Ichigo followed her, deciding to force the answers he needed out of her if need be. Keeping Zangetsu unsheathed, Ichigo followed her into the building, expecting a trap. As the door closed around him, his eyes became adjusted to the darkness. "Who are you?" he demanded. "Come out, you coward!"

He was blinded when white flames erupted from the top of a circle of pillars. In the center of the large ring stood the woman with her cloak still obscuring her face. "Who am I?" she asked, her hands slowly reached up to pull back the hood of her cloak. "You know me all too well, Ichigo. But it looks like I never knew a thing about you."

Ichigo felt as if time stood still as the girl pulled back her cloak, revealing a face he never thought he'd see in this godforsaken place. "Is…is that you…Tatsuki?" His eyes widened in horror as she pulled the cloak away. The girl wore a new outfit that Aizen had given her after finishing her training. It was the same as her old one, but with one difference. The stomach was exposed, revealing her Espada tattoo.

"I'm Espada number nine: Tatsuki Arisawa." She cracked her knuckles as a single tear ran down her face.

"Prepare to die, Ichigo."

To be continued….

 **A.N.: If anyone points out that Tatsuki is acting like a damsel in distress, that's fair I suppose, but if I'm being honest here…in front of Aizen, everyone is a damsel in distress, so that's not much of an argument.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.  
Warning: Don't like, don't read, don't hate!**

 **Tatsuki's Palace**

Ichigo stood there, his body growing cold as his eyes gazed at his friend. His grip on Zangetsu loosened when he immediately saw the mask fragments around her face, the hole in her chest and the tattoo on her stomach. She wore a white outfit that showed a lot of leg and thigh-high boots. On her back was a zanpakuto with a green sheath. "This…this is a trick!" Ichigo clenched his teeth and took a deep breath. "You're not Tatsuki!"

The Espada shook her head as she walked over to him, the pillars moving backward, expanding the circle until they surrounded the two. "It is me. If you need proof…" she smiled as a faint memory came to her. "When we were kids at the dojo you accidently grabbed my _Gi_ instead of yours and when your mom washed it, she accidentally washed it with a red shirt, making it pink." When Ichigo's eyes widened in horror, Tatsuki nodded. "It is me, Ichigo. Lord Aizen…" she balled her hands into fists which steamed as her pain became apparent all over her face. "Lord Aizen kidnapped me along with Orihime and turned me into a hollow. I'm now the number Nine Espada."

Ichigo looked at his friend, feeling like his heart was being ripped out of his chest. "Lord…" he glared at the girl. "Why do you serve him?!" he shouted. "He did this to you and you're just doing what he says now? The Tatsuki I know would never follow anyone's orders!"

"Maybe…" Tatsuki said shaking her head. "But the Tatsuki you know is dead. Aizen killed her…I…I have no choice, Ichigo. If I don't do what he says, he'll…" she left the rest of the statement unsaid, not wanting to think about what was on the line. "I'm sorry…I don't want to do this but…I don't have a choice."

Tatsuki disappeared from Ichigo's sight, only to appear right in front of him. "GAH!" Ichigo coughed blood when Tatsuki punched him in the stomach, sending him into a nearby wall. When he recovered, his eyes widened in alarm when he saw Tatsuki coming at him, ready to put her fist through his chest. He barely managed to get away in time before her fist, now glowing red hot, destroyed the wall. Moving to the center of the ring, Ichigo had no choice but to unsheathe the wraps around Zangetsu when she turned around and pointed a steaming hand at him, a ball of red energy forming in her palm. As the attack blasted out of her hand he jumped up to avoid it, only for Tatsuki to appear behind him, having mastered Sonido, and punch Ichigo in the back. "Gaaaaah!" Ichigo screamed when he felt the attack burn, sending him crashing to the ground. When Tatsuki moved to kick him he blocked when the blunt end of Zangetsu. "Tatsuki! Stop! I don't to fight you!"

Clenching her teeth, Tatsuki landed on the ground and punched Ichigo, the boy blocking with the flat of Zangetsu. Pushing him against one of the pillars, Tatsuki's face neared Ichigo's. "I don't want to fight you either. But I have no choice! If I don't kill you…Orihime dies!" Ichigo's eyes widened when she fired off a point-blank cero straight to his face.

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Aizen's Quarters**

"My, she certainly is ferocious," Aizen observed as he watched the battle. "Interesting what those two do under pressure." Sipping his tea, Aizen watched as Ichigo, who'd survived the attack by flashstepping away, tried desperately to dodge her incoming strikes. To Aizen it was fascinating to see how far Tatsuki would go to save Orihime. But like before when he first spoke to the girl, he was merely playing her. He had no intention of killing Orihime. Her ability was far too valuable to waste on a gambit like this. Ulquiorra was guarding her in one of the towers but his orders were only to keep her confined there.

"What will you do, Ichigo?" he asked the image amusingly as he continued to watch the battle.

 _ **Back to the plot….**_

 __Dodging another fiery fist, Ichigo spun around, the blunt end of Zangetsu slamming into the side of her head. ' _I…I just have to knock her out! If I can knock her out…I don't know!'_ his heart slammed against his chest with each beat as he was forced to grapple with the truth that not only was Tatsuki an Arrancar, she was trying her damnest to kill him. ' _I can't fight her!'_ But Tatsuki's Hierro was tougher than he'd realized and she merely shrugged off the blow. It was clear to Ichigo: trying to knock her out quickly was impossible.

"Raaaaaaah!" Tatsuki appeared next to him and punched him in the side. Ichigo cried out as he was thrown across the room like a ragdoll. Her fists steamed as her conflicted emotions rattled around in her head. ' _I don't want to do this! But I have no choice…its Ichigo or Orihime and I…I made a promise….'_ She saw Ichigo hit the ground and held her breath. She didn't want Ichigo to get back up, wanting time to think of a plan to help him get away. ' _Ichigo, please stay down. Please stay down….'_ But her prayer went unheard as Ichigo struggled to his feet.

Grabbing Zangetsu with both hands, Ichigo understood instantly. He couldn't keep going on defense. He had to do something. If he was killed, then the two girls he cared about most would be forever in Aizen's clutches. Gathering his spirit energy, Ichigo closed his eyes. "Ban…Kai!"

Tatsuki watched as Ichigo was enveloped in black spirit energy before emerging in a black coat, his zanpakuto shrinking down to a black katana. ' _Wow, he's kinda hot in that,'_ she absentmindedly thought before mentally slapping herself. She readied her stance before Ichigo suddenly disappeared from her sight. A blur of black was the only warning she had. Ichigo brought his sword down, intending to maim her shoulder. Tatsuki blocked with both arms, but Ichigo's spiritual pressure had increased to the point where the blade cut her. "Gah!" she jumped backward and fired another Cero at Ichigo, who swatted it with his Bankai. ' _Dammit! It's just as Aizen said. I'm no match for Ichigo's Bankai barehanded.'_ She drew her zanpakuto and charged at Ichigo. The two friends blade-locked hard, pushing against each other. "Ichigo…."

The substitute could see the pain in her eyes and it killed him to know he was causing his best friend pain. "Tatsuki, you can't do this!" he pleaded. If he was reading her spiritual pressure right, he knew that she was no match for him as he was now. And part of him knew she knew that too. "Please stop!"

"I can't!" Tatsuki screamed as her blade glowed red as she slipped her spirit energy into her zanpakuto. "He'll kill Orihime!" Ichigo's eyes widened in horror as he suddenly understood what was going on. This was Aizen's motive for kidnapping Tatsuki: to back him into a corner so that in order to save one friend, he would have to kill another. As she jumped back, Tatsuki closed her eyes, a single tear rolling down her face. "I'm so sorry, Ichigo but I made a promise to Orihime that no matter what I'd keep her safe. And if this is the only way…then…so be it…."

"Tatsuki…" Ichigo's eyes widened in horror when he realized what she was about to do. "Don't!"

"Blaze… Dragón!"

Ichigo watched as his best friend was consumed by a pillar of fire, the white flames on the pillars exploding as she triggered them with her Resurreción. "Tatsuki…." The walls around them became scorched as the inferno spread outward, forcing Ichigo to brace himself, heat enveloping him. When his friend finally appeared, his could not believe that the being before him was Tatsuki. "No…."

Stepping out of the ring of fire, Tatsuki had been transformed. Her outfit had changed to an Amazonian breastplate and loincloth, showing off a bit more skin that she might've liked. But her forearms and legs were covered in white scales, her hands clawed. Two large wings flapped behind her and a large tail smashed against a pillar as she walked calmly toward Ichigo. The mask fragments were gone from her face but she had a headdress in the shape of a dragon's skull around her head. As she exhaled the air in the room became hotter. "Ready, Ichigo?" she asked as she created swords of fire with both hands.

Ichigo had barely managed to get his guard back up when Tatsuki charged him, her wings flapping giving her extra force as she slammed into Ichigo. Gripping Tensa Zangetsu tightly, Ichigo fought back. His black blade and Tatsuki's fire swords clashed hard, flames erupting with each connected strike. Ichigo didn't understand how Tatsuki could be so good with a sword. She may have been a novice but she was taking full advantage of his hesitance, her burning blades grazing his shoulders and sides. "Guh!" he grimaced as she cut his arm, feeling the flames burn him before pushing her back. Tatsuki flew back to the center of the ring and put her hands together. ' _Another Cero?'_ He braced himself for another attack, his blade glowing black to fire off a Getsuga Tensho. But he gasped when the white flames shot out of the pillars and entered Tatsuki's body, the girl able to energize off of the power of fire. The cero in her hands became enveloped in flame as it became bigger and bigger.

"Hellfire Cero!"

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Szayelapporo's Palace**

Rukia, Renji, Chad and Uryu all sensed the clashing spiritual pressure from afar as they battled with the number Eight Espada's minions. After manipulating the corridors to lure the other four intruders into one spot, Szayelapporo had dropped them through a trapdoor into his palace, where he sealed their powers and threw his Fracción at them. "That spiritual pressure…" Rukia's eyes widened in horror.

"Ichigo…and Tatsuki?!" Chad's gasped before dodging a huge arrancar's strike, sensing the presence of his classmate.

Gritting his teeth, Uryu wanted to kick himself. "Dammit! I was hoping I was wrong!" Turning to Szayelapporo, Uryu glared at him. "Why did you kidnap Tatsuki? What have you done to her?"

Tapping his cheek, Szayelapporo merely smiled sadistically as he sat in his chair. "So you sensed them as well. It seems our little number Nine has gotten serious. I say, to feel that kind of power from here. She is quite something…."

"Answer my question, damn you!" Uryu screamed.

Waving a hand dismissingly, Szayelapporo merely say back and looked at the fighting quartet with a look of boredom. "It's nothing to get so worked up about, Quincy. It's rather quite simple. Lord Aizen kidnapped Tatsuki Arisawa and turned her into an arrancar. She is the Espada's number Nine."

Rukia, Chad and Renji all felt their blood go cold at the statement. "You hollowfied Tatsuki?" Rukia gasped, remembering the kind yet tough girl she'd befriended. "How could you?!"

"You should be more worried about yourself," Szayelapporo warned as one of his Fracción attacked her from behind. "You shouldn't worry about Ichigo Kurosaki. He'll be dead soon enough."

"You bastard!" Renji shouted as he pushed one of the hollows away from him. "You brainwashed Tatsuki to weaken Ichigo?"

"Brainwash? Hardly," Szayelapporo said as he smirked. "Lord Aizen gave her an order she couldn't refuse. You should have seen her face though. It was priceless! AHAHAHAHAH!" the mad Espada laughed. "How befitting of the Espada of Love!"

"Espada of Love?" questioned Uryu.

"Quite. See, every one of the Espada rules over an aspect of death. They are the ten reasons that embody our powers, our motivations and even our very existence." Szayelapporo started to count off the mentioned aspects. "There's mine, Madness, then there's Rage, Solitude, Senescence, Sacrifice, Nothingness, Despair, Destruction and Ecstasy. And little Tatsuki's aspect of death…is Love, possibly the most deadly of all!" he laughed right in their faces. "In order to save someone she loves, she has to kill someone she loves! Oh, the irony!" he laughed mockingly.

Uryu clenched his fists as he stared at him hatefully. ' _This is bad! Judging from her spiritual pressure, I'd say that she's weaker than Ichigo. But there's no way that Ichigo could ever fight with all his strength against Tatsuki. And from what Szayelapporo's implying, Aizen must've threatened Tatsuki by using Orihime, so she has no choice but to fight at her maximum power.'_ He could feel his heart start to thump in dread as he came to one solid conclusion. ' _There's no way Ichigo can win! In order to win, he'll have to kill her. But if he does, it'll completely destroy him!'_ He thought of his friend and he cursed his inability to get out of this room. ' _Dammit! We have to do something! Otherwise, Ichigo is going to die!'_

 _ **Ichigo Vs. Tatsuki….**_

 __The side of Tatsuki's palace was destroyed as a giant blast of fire exploded from it. Tatsuki panted, still not used to the full power of her resurreccion. "Ichigo…." She was on the verge of tears, knowing she'd just turned her best friend into ashes. "Huh?"

In the middle of the hole, the sunlight outside contrasting with his black cloak, stood Ichigo. On his face, he wore a hollow mask, with was completely white on one-side and red stripes on the other. Tatsuki gulped, remembering what Aizen had told her, explaining how Ichigo was the polar opposite of her: a Vizard. "Enough, Tatsuki!" Ichigo shouted as he walked over toward the girl. "You can't win! Please," he pleaded, his black and yellow eyes filled with pain. "Stop. We can find a way to save Orihime together! I don't want to fight you!"

Tatsuki looked at Ichigo and she could feel the love that she always had for him start to well up inside her. Even though they'd been tainted by the power of hollows, their human emotions were still there. "I…I don't want to fight you too…" she muttered, with her head hung low. For an instant, just an instant, Ichigo thought that he'd gotten through to her.

But nobody, not even Ichigo, could end this with kind words. "I'm sorry, Ichigo…" she finally said as she looked back up, a fire sword appearing in her hand. "But I can't. I made a promise to Orihime to keep her safe. You're my best friend. I…" she couldn't say it. Not like this. "I'm sorry…."

As Tatsuki charged her, Ichigo met her head on, the two clashing. Now that he was hollowfied he was more than a match for her now. Tatsuki was now on the defense as Ichigo pressed her. She backed away and flew up into the air, darting in between the pillars. The sword in her hand morphed into a spear and she began to hurl flaming spears at Ichigo. Ichigo jumped off the pillars, darting in between them to dodge them, and made his way toward her, meeting her in midair. But when he pressed her, her wings touched one of the white flames on the pillars and she was imbued with more strength and power, pushing him back. "Gah!" he cried out through his mask as Tatsuki's tail whipped around and slammed into him, feeling ribs break. As Ichigo was pushed back, Tatsuki spread her arms and legs, her wings expanding to their full span. The white flames on each pillar all leapt up and enveloped Tatsuki, strengthening her. The Espada was wrapped in an orb of white flame and when she appeared, her appearance had altered slightly. Her wings were slimmer and more angelic. The scales on her arms had turned into long white gloves and her headdress had turned into a large intricate fire hairpin. Flexing her hands, white flames shot out of her gloves and solidified into two solid blades.

"Tatsuki…what the hell is this?" Ichigo asked, completely shocked. He'd never heard of an arrancar who can transform twice.

"I…it's hard to explain. Lord Aizen said that because I'm not like a normal Arrancar, my powers can evolve to new heights. He called this Resurreción: Segunda Etapa." Before Ichigo could say another word, Tatsuki charged him. As their blades connected, their spiritual pressures clashed and cracks formed around the palace as Ichigo raised his spiritual pressure to the max to match hers.

' _It's those flames!'_ He saw that they were still feeding Tatsuki power. ' _If I don't do something, they'll keep making her stronger. She's already just as strong as Grimmjow!'_ Pushing her back, Ichigo charged up his spiritual energy into his Bankai. ' _I'll knock those pillars over!'_ "Getsuga Tensho!" A black wave of energy arched toward the base of one of the pillars….

…Only for it to arch up toward the flame on the top and be swallowed by it. "What?!"

"It's useless." Tatsuki said as she flew up behind him. "Those flames were created by Aizen. They absorb the reishi in the air and they absorb any energy attacks. And those pillars are made of Seki-Seki rock. They can't be destroyed by your zanpakuto or spirit energy."

Ichigo grimaced as the direness of the situation. He couldn't use Getsuga Tensho; otherwise he'll just be strengthening her. "Fine then…." He turned around and looked her dead in the eye. "I see that the only way to stop you Tatsuki…is force." The girl was surprised when Ichigo started to attack her with all his might, determined to bring her to the ground. "Hahhhhhh!" he shouted as he chopped at her, the Espada slamming to the ground. Tatsuki instantly righted herself and countered his strikes. As they blade-locked one more time, Ichigo's blade pulsed again. "Getsuga…" Tatsuki was shocked when she was hit with a point-blank attack, "Tensho!" Ichigo surmised that the flames wouldn't absorb his attack if he was this close to Tatsuki. The girl was sent flying into a wall. "No…." He clenched his fist, hating himself for hurting her. He panted from exhaustion. The only way to win this was to fight at full power.

But the cost….

' _Can…can I really do this? Do I really have to kill Tatsuki to save Orihime?'_ Beneath his mask, a tear rolled down his face as the thought of Tatsuki dead at his hands hit him. ' _I…I don't know if I can live with myself….'_

Tatsuki emerged from the dust, on her knees, her side bleeding. Ichigo was partially glad, hoping that Tatsuki would stay down. But as she got up, he saw that the wound began to close. "Dammit!" His blood when cold when a chilling realization came upon him as the facts lay bare. He couldn't hold back. He couldn't knock her out or wound her enough to make her stay down. She would not stop or listen to reason. There was only one way to stop her:

He had to kill her.

Tatsuki summoned another white flame-blade and stood her ground. As she stared at Ichigo, she knew the truth, nobody how much she wanted to deny it. Ichigo really was her enemy. She could not drive him away. She could not try to team up with him to save Orihime. They'd never stand a chance against Aizen or the other Espadas. If she was to save Orihime from Aizen, she had only one course of action.

She had to kill him.

The Espada and Vizard stared at each other, pain in both of their eyes. White spirit energy poured out of Tatsuki's blade, Ichigo's blade igniting with black. The two were so alike. And yet, they were as different as dusk is to dawn.

"Ichigo…" she needed to say it. She had to say it. It might be the last chance she'd ever get to say it. She remembered the time they had together. All the times they'd sparred and their time as classmates, hanging together and laughing together. For just a moment, Tatsuki felt like she had her heart back. "I love you." When she looked back up, she had tears running down her face.

"Tatsuki…." Ichigo didn't know if he could do it. This was the person who'd been his friend the longest. The person who understood Ichigo the most. The one who was there when he needed a friend the most. He cared for her just as much as he cared for his family. No…he cared for her even more. But he knew one thing for sure. He couldn't let Aizen have her. "I'm…so sorry…." His voice was but a whisper. "I love you too."

A single tear fell from both of their faces as they charged, the two friends ready to kill one another with Orihime's life on the line.

To be continued….


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Las Noches Tower**

Orihime couldn't take it anymore. She could feel the clashing spiritual pressures of both Ichigo and Tatsuki and it was killing her knowing that they were fighting for her. Ulquiorra had not-so-subtlety told her of Tatsuki's order, although he had also told her that Aizen had no intention of actually hurting her.

Ulquiorra stood in front of the door, making it clear he had no intention of letting Orihime out until the battle was over. "Why are you so concerned?" Ulquiorra asked, not understanding Orihime as she sat on the couch in fright. "When you came here, you became our ally. As did Tatsuki. If she keeps her word, no further harm will be placed on her. As for Ichigo Kurosaki, he was a fool to come here."

Feeling a huge spike in both their spiritual pressures, Orihime balled her fists and stood up. She'd had enough. ' _I…trained with Rukia so that I could be helpful. I came here so that I could protect everyone.'_ She clenched her teeth in anger as she was met with the truth that Aizen lied to her. ' _He promised that if I came here my friends wouldn't be hurt. But he hollowfied Tatsuki and is forcing her to fight Ichigo. How is that NOT hurting them?!'_ She thought about her friends and she made her decision.

She couldn't let this happen. She had to stop them.

Ulquiorra blinked when Orihime stood up and walked toward him. "Sit down, woman," he ordered, his emerald eyes boring into her. "I will not tell you again." He was ordered to restrain Orihime if need be and he was more than prepared to do so.

Orihime's eyes showed determination. "No. I won't let Tatsuki kill Ichigo. Move."

This was a first for Ulquiorra. Orihime was showing such courage when Ulquiorra was positive that they'd snuffed out any will to resist from the girl. Flexing his hands, he took a step toward the human. "I will not repeat myself. Sit back down." When he saw Orihime's hairpins glow he gave a shadow of a frown. "Don't bother. Your abilities are not strong enough to move me." He knew from listening to Aizen that her powers were severely handicapped by her kind disposition, making her less of a threat to him.

But what Aizen and Ulquiorra had been unaware of was that before she was removed from Tatsuki's palace, the girl had given a bit of advice to Orihime.

" _Listen to me, Orihime,_ " Tatsuki had told her before Ulquiorra had shown up. " _If you even suspect that they're going to hurt you, you fight back. You hear?"_ she had said while looking Orihime dead in the eye. " _These people aren't to be trusted. If it comes down to it, you fight. And you fight to kill._ "

When Tatsuki had given Orihime a small part of her spirit energy, Orihime had taken in part of Tatsuki herself, including her strong drive and fierce courage. Feeling her friend's power in her core, Orihime steeled herself and her heart burned with determination. She knew what she had to do.

And Ulquiorra wasn't going to stop her.

As Ulquiorra brought a hand up to grab her Orihime's eyes burned with fury. Fury at him, at the Espadas and at Aizen. "Koten Zanshun!" she screamed as she aimed her attack right at Ulquiorra. "I REJECT!"

Scowling, Ulquiorra held up an arm to block the attack, remembering how Yammy had crushed Tsubaki with ease. But when he felt the ferocity and power behind the attack he quickly brought up his second hand to help block it. "Impossible!" he muttered, his eyes growing wide as the attack cut through his arms, tearing them off before feeling it hit his chest.

Orihime watched as Ulquiorra was engulfed in her attack, feeling a bit vindictive after everything she and Tatsuki had been through. Walking through the ruined doorway, she was shocked to see Ulquiorra, barely alive. A massive gash had been cut through his chest and he was bleeding profusely from it and his two stumps where his arms had been. She was shocked at her own power but only paused for a moment, stepping over the dying Espada and running down the stairs. She didn't stop for a second, running as fast as she could down the stairs.

"My, how scary!"

She gasped when she saw Gin leaning back against the wall at the foot of the stairs. The rogue looked up at her and smiled his Cheshire-cat smile. "I had no idea our little princess had claws. You're quite the scary lady." When Orihime braced herself for any retaliation the man merely shrugged his shoulders. Orihime flinched when a hand popped out of his sleeves but instead of going for his zanpakuto he pointed down the hallway. "Head down this hallway and take a left. You'll find some stairs. Take them and you'll wind up at the bridge to your friend's palace."

Orihime just stared at him agog. She was expecting a full-on fight from the man but here he was helping her. "Why?" she asked, not sure if this was a trap.

Folding his hands back into his sleeves, Gin looked at the girl and for the first time she saw his blue eyes. "I don't like sad stories. You'd better hurry."

"Thank you!" she quickly said before taking off as fast as she could, heading down the hallway like Gin had told her. She could feel the clashing spiritual pressures of both her friends and prayed she'd make in time.

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Ichigo Vs Tatsuki**

The exterior of Tatsuki's palace was destroyed in a cataclysmic explosion. At the center of it were Ichigo and Tatsuki, both blade-locked. The two former friends were panting as they attacked each other with everything they had. Ichigo fought with all he had. But he was waning. His mask was already half gone and he could feel his strength slip from him as the battle raged on. Tatsuki fared no better. Aizen's white-flames had gone out, their power used up. It was clear to the both of them that any mistake on their part would mean instant death for them.

"You're good, Ichigo…" Tatsuki said as she Sonidoed away, panting heavily.

"So are you…" Ichigo replied, his arms feeling like lead. "I only wish that… I could've told you about everything…."

Tatsuki looked at Ichigo, her eyes a mystery. "Why didn't you?" she asked. "I knew that you were doing something when I saw you in that black outfit."

Ichigo stared at the ground, his black/yellow eyes muddled with a heavy heart. "I didn't want to worry you. I thought that if I told you, you'd want to try to help me. I was afraid…I was afraid if you did you'd get hurt." He looked at Tatsuki in her hollowfied state and scowled. "I guess that was just a useless wish…."

"Yeah…" Creating another flame-blade, Tatsuki charged up her spiritual pressure to the maximum. "Ichigo. I'm ending this. I'm gonna hit you with everything I've got."

Nodding, Ichigo gripped Tensa Zangetsu and charged his spiritual pressure as well. "Same here."

The two friends looked at each other one final time, taking in the sight of each other while reflecting on the time they'd spent together. Then they charged.

"ICHIGO!" Tatsuki screamed as she shot toward Ichigo, flames enveloping her like a comet.

"TATSUKI!" Ichigo screamed, black spiritual pressure pouring out of him as he charged at his best friend. In a simultaneous motion, they swung at each other, ready to give the finishing blow….

"STOP!"

Both Ichigo's and Tatsuki's swords slammed into the barrier of Orihime's Santen Kesshun, cracking the shield slightly. Both of them turned to see Orihime standing at what would've been the entrance to Tatsuki's palace. With tears in her eyes, Orihime looked at her friends. "Please stop…" she pleaded, her heart about ready to give out when she thought she wouldn't be able to bring up the shield in time. "Stop fighting!"

As the shield disappeared, both Ichigo and Tatsuki, exhausted to the point where they were close to passing out, dropped to their knees. "Orihime…" Ichigo muttered, shocked to see his friend here.

"Orihime! What are you doing here?!" Tatsuki asked as she ran over to them.

"I…I couldn't let you two kill each other," Orihime sobbed as she knelt down and pulled her friends into a big hug. "I couldn't! So I…I attacked Ulquiorra and ran here as fast as I could."

Hearing Orihime's words, Tatsuki ran a hand through her orange-hair. "Wow, I knew you could be tough…."

Both Ichigo and Tatsuki sat down as Orihime went to work healing them. "What about the others?" Ichigo asked.

Tatsuki turned to look at Ichigo and scowled. "They're in Szayelapporo's palace. We should go and help them once we're healed." But her words were cut off when they felt strong spiritual pressure. "What the? Who's that?"

Ichigo felt the spiritual pressure and his eyes widened in surprise. "It's Kenpachi! And…Byakuya?" He concentrated and felt two more captain-class spirit energy. "And Captain Unohana and Mayuri. Why are they here?"

"Doesn't matter," Tatsuki said as her wounds healed. "What matters most is that Orihime is safe. We can get out of here."

Crying tears of joy, Orihime pulled Ichigo into another hug. "I'm so sorry I put you through this!" she sobbed.

Ichigo hugged her and patted her back soothingly. "It's alright, Orihime. You're my friend. I will always be there for my friends." Turning to Tatsuki he hugged her as well.

"Ichigo…" Tatsuki whispered as she wrapped her arms around him, happy that her ordeal was over at last….

"How very touching."

All three friends looked up in horror to see Aizen standing at the far end of the ruined palace. "This certainly is a surprise," the villain said as he calmly walked over to them. The three jumped to their feet and readied themselves as he stared at them. "I never expected you to possess the power to kill Ulquiorra, Orihime. Color me impressed. But Tatsuki…" his gaze turned to his newest Espada and he smiled his evil smile. "We had a deal, did we not?"

"Deals off, you sicko!" Tatsuki roared, conjuring up her blade again. "I told you, didn't I? As soon as Orihime was safe, I'd make you pay!"

"How very noble of you," Aizen said as he stood in front of them, not even bothering to draw his zanpakuto yet. "I thought I'd made it clear to you that Ichigo was your enemy. In fact…" Tatsuki felt the hair on her neck stand up as Aizen's eyes narrowed at her, "You yourself even said so, did you not?" Turning to Ichigo, the villain gave the boy a shadow of a smile. "Should I tell Ichigo how I taught you that lesson?"

"SHUT UP!" Tatsuki screamed, not wanting Ichigo to know that Aizen had his way with her. Summoning back her flame-blade, the Arrancar charged at Aizen at full power, intent on ripping his heart out to show to his dying eyes.

"Tatsuki! Wait!" Ichigo shouted too late before Aizen blocked her swing with a kido shield. He charged at Aizen but a blast of his spiritual pressure knocked him and his friend away from the man. Getting back on their feet, Ichigo and Tatsuki stood their ground as Aizen calmly drew his zanpakuto. Orihime ran up to them and readied herself.

"Ichigo," Tatsuki looked at Aizen and remembered her training. "You can't look at his zanpakuto. If you look at his sword's release, he'll hypnotize you!"

"As she said, Ichigo," Aizen said, still walking calmly over to them as if it was just another day. "But Tatsuki, you misunderstand one critical fact. All three of you do."

"Yeah? And what's that?" the defiant Espada spat.

"What makes you think I need my Kyoka Suigetsu to deal with the three of you?"

All three of the teens froze in their place. Aizen's voice…came from _behind them!_

Orihime was barely able to put up her shield in time before Aizen struck, his speed mindboggling to the untested Orihime and Ichigo. "Damn you!" Ichigo shouted. His sword pulsed and he looked at Tatsuki, who nodded. Still in her Segunda Etapa form, Tatsuki did away with her flame blades and put her hands together, her bloody palms intermingling with the rush of power. Beside them Orihime put a hand on her hairpins and steeled her nerve and strength.

All Aizen did was cock his head in response. "Oh?"

"GETSUGA TENSHO!"

"KOTEN ZANSHUN!"

"GRAN REY CERO!"

Aizen disappeared as the three teens blasted him with their strongest techniques. Spent, the three panted from exhaustion. "Did we get him?" Ichigo asked, the mask on his face crumbling away.

"I think so," Tatsuki panted. Her energy spent from her long battle with Ichigo, her body reverted to its sealed state. "There's no way he could take all that and still come out standing." Orihime remained silent, not knowing what the next few minutes would bring. They waited as the cloud of smoke and dust began to slowly lift. And from its shadow came a man's silhouette.

"So, the three of you together and this is all you can manage? How disappointing…."

Fear hit Ichigo and his friends when they saw Aizen standing there, alive and well. "But…that's impossible!" he breathed. "There's no way-"

"There's no way that I can still be alive. Is that what you were about to say?" Aizen mocked. Disappearing from view, he flashstepped behind the boy. "Even when I pitted you against your hollowfied friend to strengthen you, this was all you could muster? I can see that everything I've done up till now has been fruitless. How disappointing…." Ichigo whirled around to strike at him but Aizen merely grabbed his wrist and yanked him up off his feet.

"ICHIGO!" Tatsuki drew her sword but before she could attack Aizen pointed his free hand at Orihime, causing her to freeze.

"You understand, don't you, Tatsuki. Lower your sword," Aizen ordered. When Tatsuki reluctantly obeyed, Aizen's smile grew a fraction. "You see, Ichigo? Even in this desperate situation, Tatsuki obeys me."

"DAMN YOU!" Ichigo spat into his face. He tried to punch him but Aizen merely squeezed his wrist to the point where it was on the verge of breaking.

"Says the one who jumped headfirst into enemy territory unprepared for the second time; I think it's fair to say that the one who is damned is you," Aizen playfully chastised. "But I will be truthful with you, Ichigo: Even if your attack had any strength in it, it would never have dealt a fatal blow. If you want to know why…" his hand parted his shirt a little, revealing his chest to the three teens. "Perhaps this will elaborate."

Tatsuki was shocked. Embedded into Aizen's chest was the very same instrument he'd used to hollowfy her: the Hogyoku. "When did you do that?!" Tatsuki shouted.

"Shortly after you left my bedroom," Aizen explained. "I am, if nothing else, a cautious man after all."

"Bedroom?" Ichigo muttered. Despite being dense sometimes, he remembered Aizen and Tatsuki's previous words and his face lit up with rage. "YOU!" he screamed. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO TATSUKI?!"

Orihime and Tatsuki paled when Aizen looked at Ichigo and smiled a knowing smile. "Tell me, Ichigo," Aizen calmly said. "Have you ever wondered how Tatsuki sounds like when she's locked in the throes of ecstasy?" Ichigo's eyes widened with horror, letting Aizen know he'd hit a deep nerve. Seeing Ichigo's horrified expression, Aizen continued. "Do you know how her face twists with pleasure as she orgasms? Or how her naked body glistens when she's covered in sweat?" Leaning forward, Aizen looked Ichigo in the eyes.

"I do."

Ichigo was silent, but only for a moment, his head dropping from the revelation that his childhood friend had been violated; and he had been nowhere to stop it. Then, his head snapped forward and Orihime and Tatsuki gasped in surprise; Aizen's smile merely widened. Ichigo's eyes…had turned black.

" _ **I'LL KILL YOOOOOOOOOOU!**_

To be continued


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

 **A.N.: Lobiosomen616, yes, Flaming Fist to the Face does sound like a kickass name for a vodka. Strikes Faster than Starlight, the reason I had Orihime be stronger is because of the fact that she sort of became next to useless in the manga after she left for Hueco Mundo.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.**

 _ **Ichigo, Orihime & Tatsuki Vs. Aizen….  
**_ **Ruins of Tatsuki's Palace**

Ichigo's hand gripped the arm that was holding him, his fingers growing nails as his eyes turned completely black and yellow. " _ **AIZEEEEEEEEEN!**_ " Ichigo screamed, ripping his arm away from Aizen's grip. Aizen flashstepped away when Ichigo swung at him with Tensa Zangetsu, a smug look on his face ; satisfied at getting a reaction from the boy.

"Ichigo?" gasped Orihime, who tried to move closer to her friend but was pushed back when his spiritual pressure flared black and red, forcing the two girls to brace themselves from his growing power. "Ichigo, calm down!"

If Tatsuki had a heart it would've felt fear as Ichigo's mask reformed over his face. "Ichigo, stop!" She saw the look on Aizen's face and knew that this was all part of his trap. "It's what he wants! You have to stop!"

" _ **AIZEEEEEEEENNNNNN!**_ "

Both Orihime and Tatsuki realized that Ichigo was too far gone; words could no longer hold him back. Ichigo's mask fully formed over his face. Eyes filled with murder at Aizen, Ichigo threw his head back and let out an earth-shattering scream. To Tatsuki's and Orihime's horror, a hole opened up in Ichigo's chest, his body engulfed by a swirl of dark energy.

"Splendid," Aizen said, not even sweating from the boy's power-up. "He's even more powerful then I speculated." Tatsuki gave the man an ugly look before turning back to Ichigo.

And then her eyes widened in shock when she saw her best friend, fully hollowfied.

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Rukia & Co. **

All heads turned to the direction of Ichigo's explosive spiritual pressure. Szayelapporo was nearby, dead from Mayuri's drugs. Captain Unohana was treating the group's wounds while Byakuya stood guard. Kenpachi merely sat on a rock and looked bored. "Ichigo?" Rukia gaped. She could feel her friend's anguish even from here. And hate. His spiritual pressure was soaked in hatred. "What's happened to you?"

Uryu was about to say something but Byakuya beat him to it. "He's succumbed to his inner hollow." The others looked at the elder Kuchiki in horror. "Aizen has provoked Ichigo into giving in to his darker impulses."

The Quincy struggled to his feet. "We need to go stop him. If we don't…Ichigo might never come back." Despite everything he truly did consider Ichigo to be his friend. "We have to stop him!" Renji, Rukia and Chad all rose to their feet, despite Unohana's insistence that they finish their treatment. Byakuya nodded and took a step forward.

"Don't bother."

Everyone turned to see Mayuri stepping over to them. "By now the boy's mind has been completely swallowed by his inner hollow. He is a creature of pure instinct. Try as you might, but reasoning with him will only lead you to your grave," the scientist warned. "Feel free to run to him, if you'd like. Just be prepared for him to rip you limb from limb." Mayuri tapped his chin and bit his cheek as his thought formed dark conclusions. "But the real question is: Why did Souske Aizen make him hollowfy? By my calculations, Ichigo Kurosaki is more than a match for him now. What is it that that man intends to do with Ichigo?"

Kenpachi merely looked on; feeling the rumble of in the sands beneath his feet caused by Ichigo's swelling spirit energy. "You'd better not die, Ichigo. It'd be boring not being able to fight you," he grumbled.

Rukia merely looked on in Ichigo's direction, fear for her friends claiming her heart. "Ichigo…."

 _ **Back to Ichigo Vs. Aizen**_

Ichigo had been truly transformed. His body was now hollow white, red tufts of hair sprouting from his wrists and ankles. His hair had grown and now sprawled down his back, his clawed hand clutching Tensa Zangetsu until his bones strained. But the most shocking transformation of all was his mask. Tatsuki noted how it was no longer the mask Ichigo had donned when they fought. Red lines ran down the eyes of the mask while horns adorned the sides, yellow and black eyes gleaming with fury. " _ **RAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!**_ "

Aizen opened his lips to say something but was interrupted when Ichigo charged at him, his speed surpassing his limits. To Orihime and Tatsuki it seemed like the entire world shook as Ichigo's blade collided with Aizen's, the hollowfied substitute pushing him back. "What's the matter, Ichigo?" Aizen taunted. "You seem upset. Was it something I said?"

" _ **AIZEEEEEEN!**_ " Ichigo chopped at him, only for Aizen to disappear from sight. The hollow whirled around and saw Aizen standing on the remains of one of the ruined pillars, his mouth uttering an incantation. A red orb formed between his horns as he leaned forward, intent on blasting Aizen to kingdom come.

Aizen finished his Kidô incantation and pointed a hand at Ichigo. "Hadô #88: Hiriogekisoshintentraiho."

The two spectating girls were blinded by the flashing energies of red and blue that erupted from their wielders. The cataclysmic explosion came close to blowing them away; thankfully Orihime's shield protected them. The supports to Tatsuki's palace cracked and shook from the blast. Tatsuki peered through the golden glow of Orihime's shield and tried to see through the smoke and dust. "Ichigo!" she called out. "Are you alright?!" She saw as Orihime lifted the shield that Ichigo was completely unharmed.

A beastly growl through the smoke let her know that Ichigo was still in one piece. And when the dust settled, they saw to their disappointment that Aizen was still standing. "Blocking a Kidô at the eighties that had a full incantation with a mere Cero. You've surpassed my expectations."

Tatsuki heard a low growl come from Ichigo as he charged Aizen, the two exchanging blows. Ichigo leered at Aizen as he spun around, backhanding him and sending the man flying. Aizen recovered quickly and flashstepped back to Ichigo, his blade clashing against Tensa Zangetsu. But beneath that feral sound coming from Ichigo, she heard something else. " _ **Tatsuki…I won't…let you…hurt her….**_ " Tatsuki gasped, a tear rolling down her face. ' _He's doing this…to protect me?'_ She remembered what Aizen had taught her; that hollows were creatures driven by their deepest instincts, with Tatsuki being the exception to the rule. It looked as if Ichigo was forcing himself to fight thanks to his deep desire to protect his friends.

Or more specifically, he was fighting to protect her. "Ichigo…."

Apparently Aizen heard it too. "So, your baser instincts are guiding you to protect Tatsuki. Interesting," the villain noted. "Then let's see what happens…" Ichigo's head snapped forward when he saw Aizen point a hand at Tatsuki and Orihime, "When I do this."

"Hadô #50: Haien."

A violet ball of fire shot towards Tatsuki. Orihime brought her hands up to her hairpins but she was too late to throw up her shield. A bright flash blinded Tatsuki as the attack connected, only to realize when she was facing the ground that she had been shoved out of the way. Looking up, her eyes widened in horror to see Ichigo standing before her, having taken the hit in her place. His back was badly burned from the strike. She looked at Ichigo and saw him drop to his knees from the attack. Orihime started to cry when she heard the low groan of pain come from him. ' _Wait a minute! If he's hollowfied then shouldn't his Instant Regeneration be kicking in right now?'_

"Shouldn't his Instant Regeneration be kicking in now? Is that what you're thinking?"

Tatsuki whirled around and was horrified to see Aizen standing directly behind her. "Haien is more than just a flame Kidô. If the person survives being hit, their cells begin to break down from the burn it causes, which acts like a poison. The spell's effect is breaking down Ichigo's body faster than his Instant Regeneration can keep up," Aizen explained. "How tragic," he mused, scolding the weakening Ichigo. "You had a golden opportunity to strike at me but you threw it away to protect Tatsuki." He drew Kyoka Suigetsu and looked down at Tatsuki, the shadow of contempt in his eyes, the Hogyoku in his chest pulsing. "Unfortunately I have no use for either of you anymore." Tatsuki braced herself as Aizen slashed at her, intending to kill her with one blow.

" _ **TATSUKI!**_ "

Opening her eyes, Tatsuki was horrified beyond all thought when she saw Ichigo jump in front of her and take the blow, Aizen slashing him across his chest. "ICHIGO!" the Arrancar screamed, catching him as he fell. As she held him, the mask on his face broke and his hollowfication fading, the hole in his chest closing as his body returned to normal. But Tatsuki was horrified when she saw the sizzling burn in his back still eating away at his body, his blood spilling from the wound in his chest, his breath haggard. "You…" she stared at Aizen with venom in her crying eyes. "YOU MONSTER!"

Tatsuki drew her zanpakuto but Aizen was much faster, flashstepping behind her and slashed her back, the worn out Espada collapsing next to Ichigo. Aizen looked amused as he watched the two wounded friends writhe in pain. "How romantic. Two best friends forced to fight each other now get to die together," he said amusingly, the irony not lost on him. He held his hand and looked at both teens, who looked on in fear. "Goodbye, Ichigo. As a research subject I no longer find you interesting. And Tatsuki, I no longer have any need for a disobedient Espada…."

Aizen mouthed a Kidô chant to finish them off but was caught off guard when he was hit from behind by Orihime's Koten Zanshun. Staggering, but remaining on his feet, Aizen turned around and looked at the defiant Orihime. "You should know by now, Orihime, that that's not going to work on me." He gestured to the Hogyoku still in his chest. "No matter what you do, your technique will never be able to kill me." As if to prove his point, the wound on his back began to heal quickly.

Orihime stared her tormentor down. "Maybe that won't work. But thanks to you, I know what I can do. Something that nobody else can." Orihime balled her fists and summoned her Shun Shun Rikka.

"Soten Kesshun."

Ichigo, back to himself now and fighting the pain in his back, grimaced as he sat up and watched as Orihime enveloped Aizen with her barrier. "Orihime! What do you think you're doing?" Even Tatsuki was confused. Why would Orihime put Aizen in her healing barrier?

But while Ichigo was confused as to what Orihime had in mind, Aizen knew exactly what she was about to do. "I don't think so!" he said, swinging Kyoka Suigetsu at the barrier, only to be repelled. "No…." He looked up and realized that he could not escape Orihime's barrier.

"Souske Aizen…." Orihime whispered. "I…REJECT!"

What happened next defied everything that Ichigo knew. Aizen was…fading? "Orihime, what are you…." He couldn't finish as he watched the Soul Society's archenemy start to vanish.

"No!" Aizen uncharacteristically roared, the Hogyoku powerless to stop her. He continued to swing at Orihime's barrier out of desperation, feeling his very existence be consigned to the void, only for his zanpakuto to be repelled again and again. "This…can't be…" In mere moments his zanpakuto had faded, leaving him helpless to Orihime's death sentence.

The group watched as the Hogyoku pulsed, fighting the power trying to erase it; but as Aizen had said before, Orihime's power defied all phenomenon. Even something that was . "You hurt my friends," Orihime said, showing a hint of anger in her hazel eyes. "This is for Ichigo! And Tatsuki! And Rukia! And everyone you've hurt!" The Hogyoku's blue glow faded as it was sent to oblivion, leaving Aizen to his fate.

His body now transparent, Aizen dropped to his knees, knowing that his end had come. ' _So, I defeat the strongest captains and my own creation,'_ his eyes turned to Ichigo. ' _Only to be done in by one girl's power. The irony is not lost on me….'_

Tatsuki scowled as Aizen chuckled. "What's so funny? You're dying, you bastard. There's nothing funny about it."

Turning his head, Aizen looked at Tatsuki, his lips forming a knowing smile. "Expecting a deathbed change of heart? My reasons are my own. But I'll say this before I go, Tatsuki. You and Ichigo are by far my finest creations."

The Espada's eyes burned with anger. "We aren't your toys! What do you think a human life is?"

"What indeed?" Aizen retorted, Orihime's power still forcing his body to fade. "I've no regrets. I strove to create a worthy opponent, someone who could match me in strength. It was for that reason that I've furthered Ichigo's development."

"But why?" Ichigo asked, wanting to understand him. "Why go so far, to betray your comrades and to kill the Soul King."

"I never liked the idea of someone standing over me, that is all." Seeing the look on the three teens face made him chuckle. "I must say, you three were quite entertaining…." As Aizen was wiped from existence he laughed into the open air.

That laugh was the last thing Ichigo, Orihime and Tatsuki heard before Aizen faded away, his body and soul erased from existence along with the Hogyoku.

The three stared at the spot where Aizen had been for several minutes before Tatsuki turned to Orihime. "I take it back, you're not tough, Orihime. You're terrifying." Orihime gave her friend a smile before collapsing from exhaustion, the technique completely wearing her out. "Orihime!" Tatsuki, who had already recovered from the wound Aizen inflicted, caught her as she fell. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Orihime nodded. "Just…take me to Ichigo." Nodding, Tatsuki Sonidoed over to the defeated boy and set her down next to him. Mustering what strength she had left, Orihime summoned her sprites one last time and began to heal Ichigo, saving him from the Kidô eating away at his body. Once Ichigo was fully healed, he sat up and the three friends hugged one more time. "Is it over?" Orihime asked, tears running down her face.

"Yeah," Ichigo sighed, running a hand through both girls' hair.

"Yes," Tatsuki murmured. "It's finally over…."

When the captains, sensing Aizen's disappearance, made it to what remained of Tatsuki's palace, the found the three passed out from exhaustion, still wrapped up in their warm hug, each not letting go of the other two….

To be continued….


	10. Final Chapter

Final Chapter  
TatsukiXIchigo

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.  
Warning: Lemon!**

 _ **Days later….  
**_ **Urahara Shop**

"Are you sure about this, Tatsuki?" Orihime asked. She held her friend's hands as they sat on cushions.

They were surrounded by a ring of friends. Kisuke and Yoruichi sat behind them while on Tatsuki's right were Chad, Uryu and Ichigo and on her left was the four captains who'd journeyed to Hueco Mundo.

Ichigo had been startled to see Unohana's face when he'd awoken after the battle with Aizen, scared for what she and the other captains would do to Tatsuki. But it became clear that as long as Tatsuki didn't pose a threat to them, they would do her no harm; Byakuya viewing her as more of another of Aizen's victims than an ally. Orihime and the others were relieved to hear this and with happy smiles they all left through the Garganta Tatsuki opened up. At last, Tatsuki's ordeal was finally over. Except for one single loose end….

Tatsuki was still an Arrancar.

Kisuke had hypothesized multiple ways of returning Tatsuki to normal, offering solutions such as Gigais for her to place herself in and special Anti-Hollowfication treatments he'd developed in the past century. "Technically," he told everyone who'd returned from Hueco Mundo, "Aizen bypassed every rule in the book when he hollowfied Tatsuki. She never died to begin with and she never had her Chain of Fate severed nor underwent the Encroachment. So logically, using a way to reverse her Hollowfication shouldn't be too difficult." But to his disappointment, Tatsuki refused his suggestions.

She wanted Orihime to restore her to normal.

Ichigo got up and sat down next to Tatsuki, holding her hand as Orihime summoned her sprites. "Tatsuki, you're absolutely positive you want to go through with this? We don't know what might happen with Orihime's powers."

Tatsuki, looking down at the hole in her chest, squeezed both Ichigo's and Orihime's hands and nodded. "Yes. I have faith in Orihime. If there is a way to turn me back, I know she can do it." She leaned forward and kissed Ichigo's cheek. "I'll be alright, Ichigo. I promise." She turned back to Orihime and nodded. "Let's do it, Orihime."

Gulping, Orihime nodded and gathered her spirit energy, ready for what she was about to do. "Sōten Kisshun. Tatsuki, I Reject your Hollowfication."

All of the Humans in the room held their breath as Tatsuki was enveloped by Orihime's golden barrier. The Soul Reapers watched with intrigue, having never witnessed something as phenomenal like this; Dehollowfication was unprecedented by all accounts.

Tatsuki was basked in the power of Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka and before she knew it, her chest felt lighter….

She found herself in the realm of her Inner World. She floated in a sea of white, stripped of all feeling and emotions, save for a gnawing hunger. She sank deeper and deeper into the white mass as her body faded away. From her lips she uttered two single words.

"Orihime…."

"Ichigo…."

A hand appeared through the white murkiness, taking hold of Tatsuki's. The girl smiled as she was pulled out of the sea of endless white, watching it bubble and evaporate beneath her as she was pulled higher and higher. Looking down, she saw the white mask of a hollow roar at her before fading away into nothing. She looked up and saw Orihime, glowing gold and smiling warmly at her like a happy sun, and smiled in return.

Everyone watching gasped in surprise as the hole in Tatsuki's chest slowly closed up, her mask fragments growing until her face was covered by her hollow mask and then melting away, revealing Tatsuki's untouched face. The zanpakuto on Tatsuki's back glowed with red light before fading away. When Orihime lifted her shield away from her, Tatsuki's body was now whole again.

After a horrific experience that seemed to last a lifetime, Tatsuki was Human again.

Tatsuki looked down at her chest and reached for the spot where her hole was, feeling like her old self again. She breathed a sigh of relief and pulled Ichigo and Orihime into a warm hug. "It's over. It's finally over."

The captains watched the touching scene before standing up, ready to return to the Soul Society to relay the events that happened, leaving the group of Humans and Ex-Soul Reapers alone to celebrate Aizen's defeat and Tatsuki and Orihime's safe return….

 _ **Later that night….  
**_ **Ichigo's House**

Tatsuki sat on Ichigo's bed, the boy sitting next to her. Neither said anything as they held hands. It took the efforts of Rukia's memory device to fix the memory of Tatsuki's family and classmates to explain her disappearance. It was comforting for Tatsuki to be human again. True, part of her missed having her tremendous power but she would take a normal life over serving Aizen every time.

Ichigo was the first one to speak. "So…do you feel okay?" he asked.

Tatsuki nodded and turned to her friend. "Yeah. I can still sense spiritual presences if I concentrate hard. And your friend with the hat said that if I wanted to, he could train me to help learn how to fight like he did Orihime and Chad. Why? Are you that concerned?"

She noticed how Ichigo's expression soured as he looked away. "No, that's not it. I mean…what Aizen did to you…" he turned back and his face showed sadness. "Are you really okay? When he said those things…I sort of…lost control."

Tatsuki couldn't help but grit her teeth and shudder as the memories of Aizen touching her came back to her. "I can never forget what he did. But I can take comfort in the fact that I was doing everything I could to keep Orihime out of harm's way. So yeah," she reached out and touched Ichigo's face, finding him warmer than she thought he'd be. "I knew you'd come. Though I never wanted any of this to happen. For a moment, I thought I was really going to kill you."

Ichigo chuckled. "You did pack one hell of a wallop. I'll give you that. Um…" Ichigo cheeks turned pink as he chose his next words wisely. "Tatsuki? During that last moment of our fight…did you…mean what you said?"

Without any hesitation, Tatsuki leaned forward and kissed Ichigo, banishing all memory of Aizen taking her first kiss away. Pulling away, she smiled. "I do. You're more than just my best friend, Ichigo. I love you."

Ichigo wrapped Tatsuki in his arms and kissed her back, cherishing the moment while it lasted. "I love you too, Tatsuki. I'm glad you're back."

"Me too." Tatsuki's hand went to Ichigo's thigh as she leaned backward. "It's nice to be me again. For the longest time all I felt like…like…a mon…." She stopped dead in her tracks when her hand brushed up against a hardening bulge in Ichigo's pants. "Seriously? You got hard from a kiss?"

Chuckling, Ichigo scratched the back of his head and blushed, unable to help himself. "Sorry. I've wanted to do that for a long time. But…what about Orihime?" he asked.

Tatsuki wrapped her arms around Ichigo's shoulders and pushed him backward onto the bed, lying on top of him. "We've talked it over after she cured me of my Hollowfication. Think you've got enough room in your heart for the two of us?"

Ichigo only smiled.

"Good. Because I didn't want to be the bearer of bad news. I don't know if you've noticed but she just took the gold medal for Most Terrifying in the Universe."

"Agreed."

"Now then…." Tatsuki roughly shoved Ichigo down onto the bed and crawled on top of him. The two friends made out as they rolled around on the bed, fighting for dominance. Ichigo found himself on his back with Tatsuki pulling his shirt off of him. He smiled when Tatsuki pulled off her shirt and undid her bra. "I never got the chance to ever say this, Ichigo," she said as she ran her hand up Ichigo's toned stomach, feeling the strong abs at her fingertips. "But you've always been my deepest fantasy." She leaned down and pressed her naked chest against his. As they kissed deeply once more Ichigo's hands ran up her back, making the girl's body heat up at his tender touch. Tatsuki broke the kiss and sat up, getting off of Ichigo. Ichigo's eyes became glued to her as she pulled down her pants, revealing her nude lower half. When Ichigo reached for his pants she slapped his hands away. "Here. Let me…." Ichigo nodded and let Tatsuki unzip his pants, tugging them off of him. Tatsuki could feel her heart race when she saw Ichigo's manhood stand at attention.

The bed creaked as Tatsuki got back onto it and straddled Ichigo's lap. Gripping Ichigo's hot cock, Tatsuki rubbed it against the folds of her entrance, moaning as it touched her clit. Looking down, she saw Ichigo smilng at her and smiled in return. "Ichigo, you ready?" When Ichigo nodded she lifted her hips. Part of her would've liked for Ichigo to be on top but she needed it to be like this. After what Aizen did to her she needed to be in control; and she knew that deep down, Ichigo understood that too. The black haired girl was unable to suppress the sharp gasp as ichigo's cock pushed into her. Apparently when Orihime had reversed her hollowfication everything that had happened to her after she'd been hollowfied had been nullified as well, returning her to a virgin's tightness. Ichigo's hands went to her waist and helped her slowly slide down his shaft. Being a virgin, Ichigo sighed at the hot feel of Tatsuki's wet walls surrounding him, her muscles squeezing him every few seconds. "Oh god!" Tatsuki groaned, sweat rolling down her body. Once she reached the hilt of Ichigo's manhood she groaned from the feel of having the tip nudge the entrance to her womb. "You're so big!"

Ichigo looked up at Tatsuki with concerned eyes. "Tatsuki, do you want to stop?"

"No," Tatsuki shook her head. "Just…give me a minute. You're not exactly fun sized, you know?" Taking deep breaths, Tatsuki sat still for a few moments and letting her body adjust to the huge cock inside her. She groaned as she finally started to move. Putting her hands on Ichigo's stomach to keep herself steady, Tatsuki began to bounce on Ichigo's cock, lifting her hips up and spearing herself down onto his manhood. Ichigo let out low moans as he embraced the feeling of his friend's pussy, her wet walls surrounding him again and again. Gripping her waist, he instinctively began to thrust in time with her bouncing, making Tatsuki's body shake with ecstasy.

Every bounce made Tatsuki's breasts bounce like water balloons, bouncing faster and faster as the two continued to fuck. Unable to help himself, Ichigo sat up and wrapped his arms around Tatsuki, wrapping his lips around one of her nipples as she continued to ride him. "Ichigo! That feels good!" Tatsuki groaned, her head rolling backward. Ichigo switched from breast to breast every few seconds of licking and sucking, making Tatsuki's head spin from the pleasure. Wrappng her arms around Ichigo's neck, Tatsuki rolled her hips and pressed her chest against Ichigo, wanting him to experience all of her. She groaned when Ichigo's cock forced its way into her womb. Despite the sharp pain, Tatsuki couldn't help but find pleasure in it, bouncing faster and faster. "Ichigo! Ichigo!" she cried out, never wanting this to end.

"Tatsuki…" Ichigo kissed her deeply as she bounced in his lap, continuing to squeeze him with her tight walls. Finally, the virgin had all he could take. "I'm gonna cum!" he cried out, his grip on his friend tightening. Tatsuki smashed their lips together as she reached her peak together with Ichigo, the two lovers moaning lewdly into each other's mouths. Ichigo held Tatsuki tight as he came inside her, filling her with his cum. Tatsuki melted in Ichigo's arms as she came, her body a shaking mess. This was so different than when Aizen took her; this time she could feel nothing but love from her friend.

They stayed like that for minutes, hugging each other while basking in their warmth. Finally, Tatsuki lifted herself off Ichigo's cock, groaning as she felt Ichigo's cum leak out of her. As Ichigo lay back Tatsuki laid on top of him, kissing him sweetly as they embraced again. "I love you, Ichigo."

Carresing her cheek, Ichigo smiled lovingly at her. "I love you too, Tatsuki. I'm glad you're back."

"It's good to be back." Tatsuki reached for her cellphone. "Hang on, I'll call Orihime."

Ichigo blinked. "What for?"

Tatsuki grinned. "Why don't the three of us have a celebratory threesome! I'm sure she'll want to get in on this."

On that note, Ichigo could agree.

 _ **Meanwhile….  
**_ **Urahara Shop**

"Ahhhh…" Kisuke sighed, stepping out onto the front porch with Yoruichi and taking in the night air. "It's a good night."

"I'll say! Happy endings for everybody!"

Both former Soul Reapers turned around and saw Gin Ichimaru leaning against a light pole, smiling his Cheshire Cat-smile at them. "Hi."

Yoruichi balled her fists. "What do you want? Revenge for Aizen?" she said glaring, ready for a fight.

Kisuke flipped his fan. "Uh…actually Yoruichi, Orihime told me that he actually helped her stop Ichigo and Tatsuki from killing each other. Given how he didn't help the Espada or Aizen, I think we can safely assume he's actually on our side. Am I right?" the shopkeeper asked.

Gin tilted his head back and smiled more. "My, always a sharp one, aren't you. Anyway, now that Cap'n Aizen is gone, I've decided to lay low in the World of the Living, at least until I can find some way to make it up to Rangiku and the others."

Crossing her arms, Yoruichi stared at the man. "Interesting. So what're you gonna do now? Where are you gonna stay?"

Gin looked at them with his head cocked. "What? I can't stay here?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" shouted both Kisuke and Yoruichi.

"Awww! You two are no fun! I'm just kidding." The man reached into the pockets of one of his robes and pulled out something. "Anyway, I've decided to become a novelist. I just put the finishing touches on my newest book after I took a peek at Ichigo's room for inspiration." Walking over to them, he handed the book to Kisuke. "Take a look."

The cover read _Foxy Paradise._ And it was very clear after Kisuke flipped through a few pages what kind of book it was. "I'll uh…look at this later…" Kisuke said, slipping the book into the folds of his robes. "So tell us, Gin. Was it all worth it?" he asked the Gin as he walked away.

The foxy rogue turned his head and gave the two another creepy smile. "Why of course it was. I have never had this much fun. Now if you'll excuse me. I'm off to find more inspiration…." And with that he vanished, leaving Yoruichi standing there confused before realizing that Kisuke had his back to her, flipping through Gin's book. Bonking him on the head, she dragged him back inside, glad that this mess was finally over….

The End

 **A.N.: Now that's what I call a happy ending. Whacky out!**


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